The Dark Stone Prophecy version 3point0
by Spike 558
Summary: The long awaited follow up to The Woodsman!
1. Introduction prelude

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Prologue

* * *

**Author Introduction:**

So here we go with _the Dark Stone Prophecy _version 3.1. I know this has been a long time coming but so much has been happening in my own life that attendance to my beloved Spike's Den has become a lesser priority. It has only been recently that I have found the time, and indeed the motivation, to return to this long-neglected epic. Worse still is the fact that my dissatisfaction with my previous efforts mean that I have not been making any progress. Instead I've been going backwards and polishing up what I've already done. And believe you me it certainly is frustrating, as the author, that so many regressive steps have been taken - thus has resulted in little being made in the way of progress   
However, I can safely say that I am completely satisfied with my reworking of my previous chapters. Thus I can assure you that there will be no more work of this nature. I am more focused on making progress and making _the Dark Stone Prophecy_ into my _magnum opus_.  
Wish me luck!

Thanks to Alyson, Kebinu, Steve Lucky, Katherine, Francesca, David Gemmel, Casey, all the ZAF fans who kept coming back to my site, everyone at the Utas Anime Society and my ever tenacious proof-reader Diane

No thanks to Blizzard - because if it wasn't for their games, this fic would've been done a lot quicker.

* * *

Have I got a story for you.

What's that you say? You don't want to heed the words of a drunk? You don't have time to hear what this loser has to say? You don't want to listen to the words of a bum whom has been living in the gutter practically all his life?

Ha! You are a but a fool! You have been led on by your own perceptions! I may be simple in appearance but I was once a great warrior. A warrior whom fought in a great battle alongside other warriors of exceptional might. Although we emerged bloodied and beaten, we all bear the signs of pride. Pride in that we knew our cause was just and what we fought for was worth the effort.

Scoff and scorn if you like but I have a story to tell.

A story of war, romance, action, betrayal, death, hope, heartbreak and the will to succeed. But, above all, a story that relies on truth. Sure there are many story-tellers in taverns such as these. Sure there are many who can tell you a story as good as mine and sure there are many who can claim that they lived through every moment.

But how many can say that with sincerity such as mine? How can any listener be sure they are not being led on? How many facts of the story aren't twisted beyond belief? And how many elements of the story are left unchanged?

Everything that I tell, is built on strong foundations of truth. Every character, every event, every small detail is nothing but facts. And I say this as one of the participants of these events.

My story begins with a man.

A man of a dark heart and the darkest intentions.

He sat on a hill overlooking a city. A city of power and distinction. A city that housed a reputable ruling family. A city that glistened like a jewel in the morning sun.

A city by the name of Saillune.

The man could hatred swell within his heart. There, standing right before him, was the city that disowned him. Within it's great encasing walls, resided the people that banished him to the lawless wilderness of the outside world. And, right within that great palace in the centre of the city, beat the heart in the body that was Saillune.

But it was a heart that was corrupt. A heart that relied on a flimsy ideology. A heart that had become so dependent on what it believed in, that it's judgement had become cloudy and it's ruling style weak.

Sure the ruling family of Saillune had the support of the people, but what happens when a figurehead becomes incompetent and obsolete?

Times are changing in at a rate that is at once both dramatic and terrifying. The ruling family of Saillune can't keep hanging onto their flimsy ideals. The change that time brings demands that their ideology be re-written or discarded. They can't keep living their lives whilst the world continues to evolve around them.

The man felt his hand mould into a fist. If the rulers of Saillune were so blinded to the principles that they had hung to over the years, then perhaps the time has come to ring the deluded into the light.

And he will be the one to show them

And in doing so, his revenge will be satisfied.

The man smiled a sadistic smile. Anyone can kill a man or plot global domination. But there is no more satisfying sight than seeing one's enemy humiliated.....

Just then, a voice broke the man from his thoughts.

"Thyruss! There you are!"

The man raised an eyebrow to the sound of his name. He looked up to see a woman standing beside him.

"Valentina" the man named Thyruss murmured.

"What are you doing out here?" the woman named Valentina inquired.

"I've made up my mind" the man said, getting to his feet. "Today is the day it will all begin"

Upon hearing this, Valentina's eyes sparkled with delight. She reached out her arms and draped them over Thyruss' shoulders.

"You mean it?" the woman smiled. "After all this time?"

"Indeed" Thyruss replied, placing his hands around Valentina's waist. "And when it is all over, the Saillune family will be crushed. And I'll be King."

"And" he added, his voice soft and intimate. "You will be my queen....."

And when Valentina heard this, she let out a sigh of pleasure - before moving her lips towards that of Thyruss.....

* * *

Onto Chapter 1!  
Contents  



	2. 1 Ambush

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Chapter 1  
Ambush! - Yet another Bandit Attack!

* * *

It all started with an ambush.

But then again, such things are hardly surprising when one is a wanted criminal and a bandit killer.

Lina Inverse sighed. Well, here we go again - being threatened at knife-point by some hot-headed lunatic whose dreams of ambition is greater than his common sense.

It seems she can't go anywhere without some nutters pursuing her - like moths to a flame. There she was, making her way through the forest, minding her own business - when she and her five travelling companions, found themselves being circled by a bunch of bandits.

The thief grinned from the other end of the knife's blade. The red-head however, looked completely bored. Dammit, what's with this nutter? Doesn't he know who she is? Has he any idea on how much danger he is in? Hasn't he heard the many stories told over many a bandit's evening campfire? Hasn't he heard the name that strikes fear into the heart of the biggest, hardest, cruellest, black-hearted bandit from here to Atlus city?!?!

The red-head struck a brief, but bored, glance over to her companions. To her left, stood Gourry Gabriev. He too had his hands raised but he didn't look too perturbed.

"Ha, Ha!" sneered the head bandit. "You have all certainly made a huge mistake by heading into our territory! We own this part of the forest!"

Lina groaned.

"Hey Gourry?" she said. "Can you believe this guy?"

"They own this part of the forest?" the swordsman replied. "I wonder who sold it to them?"

The sorceress groaned a second time. Well, once again, Gourry has missed the blindingly obvious.

"Forget it, Gourry" Lina snapped. "We don't have time for this."

Even as dim-witted as the swordsman was, it didn't take him long to hit upon what Lina was implying.

"Now you're talking" he grinned.

"Do you think you can take these losers out?"

In spite of his slow wits, Gourry could see that these bandits were, in essence, a bunch of wimps. And a bunch of wimp each unshaven in appearance, dressed in a ragged black cloak and holding a pair of small knives. Of course, the swordsman didn't look worried - he could already tell that these hapless fools and their knives were no match for his sword skills.

"Yeah, I think I can" Gourry beamed - he seemed quite eager on the prospects of a fight.

"Good" Lina said. "Just don't do anything yet. Wait for my signal."

The sorceress returned her gaze to the bandit whom was threatening her. Bearing an expression of (deluded) triumph, the bandit's mouth continued moving - he seemed oblivious to Lina and Gourry's little exchange. But, as she was too wrapped up in her thoughts, Lina couldn't hear what he was saying.

Not that she cared anyway.

However, out of the six adventurers, there was one whom really saw the danger of the current situation. Sylphiel Nels Rahda, stood next to Gourry with her arms raised and her expression radiating with utter apprehension.

"Well, well, well!" leered the bandit nearest to Syl. "You're a pretty one aren't ya?"

"Please!" the Shrine Maiden protested. "Don't hurt me! I'll give you anything!"

Lina sighed. Well once again, Syl has proven herself incapable of handling a situation such as this.

"Really?' replied the bandit. "You know, now that you mention it, you could provide some sport for us!"

And with the that, the bandit let out a cruel laugh - much to Syl's astonishment.

Indeed, it was Syl that the sorceress was most concerned about: The shrine maiden wasn't exactly adept to an adventurous lifestyle. She didn't have enough experience to take control of this drastic situation. She hadn't trashed the same of amount of bandit gangs that Lina had. Consequently, she had little choice but to abide to the bandit's wishes.

Seeing her friend in a position of helplessness only added to Lina's resolution that if something was to be done, it should be soon....

No matter how pointless the danger the situation offered.

Casting a bored glance to her left, she saw that she wasn't the only one whom saw that the situation called for action. Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune was throwing tense glances left and right.

"This is truly unjust" she was muttering under her breath.

"So tell me!" said the bandit nearest to her. "Are you heading to Saillune?"

"We were until you attacked us!" the princess retorted.

"Don't worry we won't keep you here." the bandit sneered. "It all just depends on how fast you hand over your gold!"

"What?" Amelia snapped. "How dare you! I'll have you know, I'm a member of the Saillune ruling family and....."

"Really?" the bandit said, a glint of greed sparkling within his eye. "You don't say?"

"Hey guys!" he then called out. "We've got ourselves a princess here!"

Immediately, Amelia slapped her forehead at her ill-chosen words.

Lina smiled. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the most ideal thing to say in a situation such as this but knowing the princess, it wouldn't be long now before a speech dictating the violations of the Code of Justice escaped her lips.

Sticking close to the princess was the chimera Zelgadis Greywars. He too was bearing signs of an eagerness for action - Yet this eagerness was tainted with a ferocious scowl - Indeed, the bandits whom were closest to him, looked perturbed and uncertain as to how to deal with him.

And it didn't take a genius to work out why.

Zelgadis was being held in check by two of the gang - But both looked apprehensive about the creature they were trying to contain.

"I'm not liking the looks of this guy!" The first bandit said. "He looks freaky!"

"He certainly looks dangerous!" the second agreed.

"I say we kill him and quick!"

"I don't know about that" the second bandit said. "His skin looks deformed! There's no telling what this monster can do!"

"Maybe we'd be better off driving a stake through his heart......" The first one mused.

"Are you crazy? He doesn't look like a vampire!"

"Who cares? He looks as dangerous enough as it is!"

From the look of it, Zel understood all too well what the bandits were getting at. Again, the constant frustration that was his deformed body weighed heavily on his mind.

But what concerned Lina was that the chimera had a sinister facial expression. It was the type that would belong more to that of a serial killer - The type of serial killer that could crack a head open like an egg and break bones without any hesitation or a single morsel of regret.

Thus, if Lina was to act it would have to be soon - before Zel takes control of the situation and starts taking matters into his own hands.

The sixth and final member of Lina's travelling party however, didn't seem too bothered with what was happening around.....

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

And as the ghastly laugh escaped the lips of Naga the Serpent, the entire scene was brought to a standstill. All the bandits turned their startled gaze towards the raven-haired sorceress. And they weren't alone: Zelgadis cringed, Amelia's eyes widened, Sylphiel blinked in disbelief and Gourry's jaw dropped.

Lina, however, just slapped her hand onto her forehead and shook the rest of her cranium in utter exasperation.

Some things just never change.

"You are all fools!" Naga proclaimed. "You dare challenge the might of Naga the Serpent?!"

The bandit's reply came in facial expressions and noises of complete confusion. But this reaction wasn't what the Raven-haired sorceress was expecting.

"What?!" she shrilled angrily. "Haven't you heard of the name of Naga the Serpent?!?!"

Lina blinked. Man, how amateurish can these robbers get?!?

"Err.....Gracia?" Amelia murmured. "I hope you know what you're doing!"

"Of course I do" Naga grinned.

Just then, the bandit leader spoke: "Will SOMEONE shut that blasted woman UP?!?!?"

"Allow me" Lina said - much to her attacker's astonishment. "EXPLOSION ARRAY!"

"WHAT?!"

But it was too late. There was no use in Naga screaming any sort of protest. Nor was there any use in diving out of the way. Nothing could stop several tons of dirt erupting from underneath the feet of the raven-haired sorceress. And then, much to the astonishment of the bewildered onlookers, Naga flew up into the sky with a terrible wail.

And at that height, the Raven-haired sorceress had no chance of seeing the expressions of both the bandits and her travelling companions.

Amelia was the first to break the silence:

"LINA!" she yelled, her expression an amalgamation of hurt and outrage. "What on earth possessed you to do that?!?!"

"Hey don't look at me" the redhead smirked. "He wanted her to shut up"

And with that, she jerked her thumb in the direction of the startled bandit leader.

"What the?!" the man snarled. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

But if the bandit leader was expecting an answer, none came - for Amelia wasn't going to let Lina get out of this, Scot-free!

"That's beside the point!" Amelia snapped. "Gracia is family!"

"So?" Lina retorted. "I've travelled with Naga before! I know she can take stuff like that!"

"That doesn't change the fact that Gracia is MY SISTER!!!!!!"

And as Amelia and Lina dove deeper and deeper into their argument, they both seemed to lose concept that they were still in a position of danger.

Yes, in spite of the redhead's recently cast spell, the bandits still circled the adventurers. But now they weren't in any rush to attack. They were perplexed by the people they were threatening. They seemed more content to fight with each other than surrendering their treasure!

But the bandits weren't the only one's concerned with the current situation. Sylphiel and Zel both exchanged glances of extreme tension. Neither enjoyed being in such a dangerous position and the sooner the danger is overcome, the better.

"We don't have time for this" Zel growled.

"Uhh....Lina?" Syl inquired softly, trying to bring an end to the argument. "Amelia? Have you forgotten that....."

"AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN NAGA?!?!?!" Lina shouted, completely oblivious as to what was happening around her.

"I have known GRACIA for only several days, but...."

"Ha!" Lina grinned, cutting the princess off. "I've known her longer! So, you can't complain! I already know she can handle an explosion such as that!"

"SO?" Amelia shouted. "THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU'VE JUST INJURED MY LONG LOST SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Uh Lina?" Gourry interrupted.

"WHAT?!?!" the red-head snarled, turning towards the swordsman.

"Those bandits are still here, you know"

Lina threw up her arms in frustration.

"All right! All right!" she said, irritably. "FLARE ARROW!"

Immediately, a jet of flame burst from Lina's fingertips and launched into the air. The Flare Arrow then cruised on it's destructive flight path into the nearest bandit. The hapless robber was instantaneously knocked off his feet and swept up into flame.

It was then and there that Gourry, in a rare moment of revelation, took this as a sign for a fight. Drawing his sword in one quick movement, the swordsman grinned.

"All right!" Gourry said, his eyes glinting with battle fervour. "Now for some action!"

And with that he charged into the nearest bandit. The robber, now looking like he had just sensed impending doom, raised both his knives above his head to defend himself. But to what avail? The swordsman merely smashed the knives from the bandit's hands, in one swish of his blade.

Sensing danger, several of the bandits charged at Zel. But the chimera had sensed such a move and gripped the hilt of his sword. The bandit's knives drew closer and closer towards the chimera...

But what good are knives against one with a flesh of stone? None of the blades ever penetrated Zel's flesh. The chimera gave his attackers a split second to contemplate the situation.....before knocking them all aside with one fell swoop with his blade!

Meanwhile, Sylphiel found herself being beset by the bandit whom was threatening her before. He could already tell that she wasn't the warrior type and, as a consequence, an easy target.

He advanced on the Shrine Maiden with his knives at the ready.....

....And he would've had his way with her had it not been for that foot which struck him from behind.

Amelia leapt down to deliver a lethal flying kick to the bandit's head! Naturally, the bandit went down, face first, into the dirt.

"Ha!" the princess grinned. "Feel righteousness of the Hammer of Justice!"

"Amelia!" Sylphiel exclaimed, looking shocked but relieved. "Thank you!"

"Hey, it's all for the cause of Justice!" Amelia beamed.

Only Lina stood alone. To be honest, she didn't see the point. These guys were a waste of time. All these bandits gangs are all alike.....

Eventually, the remaining bandits lost their nerve. With panic urged their legs onward, the remnants of the bandit gang fled the battle.

Lina watched them go with a bored gaze. Good Riddance.

Dammit, can't she face a real challenge for once?!

Just then, she noticed Gourry making his way over to her with his blade raised upon his shoulders.

The swordsman grinned at the sorceress. "Crisis over eh, Lina?"

The sorceress sighed. She wish she could agree - This whole week hasn't been running smoothly.....

* * *

It was all Amelia's idea really.

Having survived the horrors in the village of Dakeyras and with their wounds now healed, Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, Sylphiel Nels Rahda, Zelgadis Greywars, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Naga were all set to leave this part of the world behind. The nightmares that had transpired in this area were best left forgotten. The villagers had all recovered from the devastation to their village and were safe in rebuilding Dakeyras to it's former glory. There was nothing more the six adventurers could do. But there remained the problem of what to do next. They were still on the run from the law and it was best to keep a low profile. Furthermore, their long-time associate Xelloss Metallium had disappeared - most likely that he had returned to attend to the whims of his master Zelas....

.....not that anyone really missed him at all.

Then Amelia hit upon the idea of returning to Saillune. It seemed the right idea: Her long lost sister Gracia Saillune had been rediscovered and Amelia wanted to make a triumphant return to her home city. Plus, there was still the issue of the bounty that Martina Xoana Mel Navratilova had placed on their heads and, according to Sylphiel, Phil would be delighted to see his daughter returned alive and unharmed.

But such a journey was not achieved without problems. Firstly, there was Sylphiel. The Shrine maiden was only accompanying them on their journey purely on the fact that she had nothing better to do. Her home town was completely blown off the face of the earth, both her parents were dead and she had abandoned the lost cause that was her fixation on Gourry. But, this only left her with nothing else. She had no place to call home, she had no-one to provide any pillars of support and she had nowhere to go. She was only journeying to Saillune because that's where the people she regarded as her only friends were heading. But once she gets there, the question remains of what she will do next. She wasn't quite suited to an adventurous life - But she didn't seem quite keen on turning her back on her only friends either.

And then there was Zelgadis. He seemed to be on a road to ruin. Day's ago, back at Dakeyras, the chimera managed to get his hands on a chimera cure. After all this time, and after all this searching, his quest was finally at an end. But he didn't take it. instead, he gave to Amelia - whom was also infected with the same curse. And so, Amelia returned to her human form whilst Zel continued to be crippled with his chimera curse. And since then, Zel's mood changed for the worse. He became inconsolable and more depressed. Amelia did her best to try to cheer him up with her affection but the chimera had no time for her. He seemed too distraught in the fact that his dream was in his grasp.......but it fell away. After coming so far, he was now back to square one.

Finally, there was Naga. Lina's former travelling companion and the last person she'd ever hoped to see again. But such is fate. Naga had returned and was here to stay. What's more, she had proven to be just as useless as ever. Ever since she'd come on this journey, all she had done was make life difficult - much to the bewilderment of Gourry, Zel and Sylphiel, all of whom were still coming to terms that Lina and Naga were old 'friends'. Worse still, her ghastly laugh had hardly changed at all either.

And what made the situation even more bitter was that, in cruelest trick of fate, she had been revealed to be Amelia's long lost sister Gracia. Such a monumental event was worthy of celebration but Lina couldn't see anything in that case to cheer about: For now it seemed unlikely that Naga will ever leave - For wherever Naga goes, Amelia would be sure to follow - and vice versa!

Fate can certainly deal a mean hand.....

* * *

Yet whilst Lina reflected on the journey to Saillune, and the cruel tricks from that nasty thing called fate, little did she know that said nasty thing was about to hatch another plan on the hapless sorceress.

Lurking in the trees nearby, was a man, whom watched the fight with an intrigued eye.

The man certainly was of handsome features. He had a well-trimmed goatee, a close-clipped haircut and a devilish grin. Dressed in a bronze breastplate with black leggings, a black shirt, and a distinctive red sash across his chest, the man also showed signs of being in possession of a magnificent sum of money. Yet, whilst he may appear as being rich, at the same time he had a wicked sword at his side - This, along with the various battle scars etched across his breastplate, betrayed his true occupation as a mercenary.

Yes, the man was a mercenary and one of the successful kind at that. In his time, he had faced many dangers and killed many men - all in the name of money. This certainly was a dangerous lifestyle but such a lifestyle produced exceptional results. He got excitement, he got to see the world, he made many enemies and he made more cash than anyone would in a single lifetime.

What more could a mercenary ask for?

With such a lifestyle, however, it was only a matter of time before he attracted the attention of the outside world. Thus, as the man's reputation grew many people came seeking his skills. These men were of various motives and various goals. But, in the mercenary's case what mattered not were the reasons for his employers to hire him but how much money they were prepared to hand over. Henceforth, the mercenary couldn't care less what his employers had hired him for.

The mercenary's name was Aldebrand. And he wasn't liking what he was seeing.

His latest employer had dispatched him on a mission of reconnaissance. Aldebrand was to scour the lands that surrounded his master's secret base and to deal with any intruders.

So far, the mission proved quite fruitful - A bunch of bandits had already made their way into the forbidden zone. Furthermore, they've already set up camp and began to rob any one foolish enough to come close.

Sure, such a bandit gang does have it's uses and potential exploitation - They certainly keep the inquisitive types away and enable his employer's plans to continue uninterrupted. But ultimately, these bandits are intruders. And they must be dealt with accordingly.

Aldebrand was about to confront them - Why should the odds of one against many bother him? He's faced odds like this before and they were more against warriors whom showed more signs of experience.

And he would've beaten off the bandits.

Had it not been for a group of more interlopers who marched onto the scene.

These newcomers certainly were an unusual bunch. Unfortunately, the bandits began circling these interlopers - thus blocking any good chances of a good look. But what Aldebrand could see of these newcomers yielded much to the fact that they were a peculiar bunch.

Numbered six, these newcomers consisted of four women and two men. One of the former was short and had fiery red hair. Another, had straight hair and a unusually frail composure. The third was, obviously the youngest of the group and had short black hair. This young woman was sticking close to an oddly tall woman - she too had black hair and, unlike the rest, a...erm.....rather appalling dress sense.

The fifth member of the party was also of tall stature. He was a man with a shock of blond hair and a face that revealed very little in the way of intelligence.

The sixth and final of these interlopers was perhaps the one Aldebrand was most suspicious of. He was humanoid in shape but his skin was anything but natural: It was coloured blue and was dotted with darker speckles. No doubt, this ....thing.....wasn't human but a monster.

And all the more reason why the mercenary should have his suspicions.

All of a sudden, things began to happen. The tall woman opened her mouth and unleashed the most ghastly sound the mercenary had ever heard in his life. It was more horrendous than a dragon's furious scream, more terrible than a demon's death wail and carried all the dread of a thousand blood-thirsty warriors encased in plate armour and armed to the teeth!

And, much to Aldebrand's astonishment, the red-head fixed her companion with a murderous gaze and cast a spell. A spell which sent the tall woman off into the air. And then, whilst still being held in check by the bandits, the young black-haired girl started a rather intense argument with the red-head!

This, naturally, left the mercenary astounded by these interlopers. What type of people were they? What type of people allow a monster in their company? What type of people possess such a ghastly laugh? What type of people attack their own companions? And what type of people start arguing whilst oblivious to the danger they were still in?!

Needless to say, it certainly took these interlopers some time before they decided to attack the bandits whom were still holding them in check.

And such a task was done with in a minimal space of time and little effort.

Unsurprisingly, the mercenary was bewildered by the events unfolding before him. These people were nothing like he had seen before. They were capable of such commendable fighting prowess but at the same time, they seem prone to infighting - even in times of great urgency.

Either way, these people could prove to be a possible obstacle to the mercenary's employer.

Ironic where one problem was solved and eventually replaced with another....

Nevertheless, he would have to report this.....

* * *

Amelia calmly polished off her hands and grinned. Yes, this battle had been won. Another triumph had been achieved in the name of justice!

It was a shame that Lina toasted Gracia at the beginning....

What Amelia couldn't understand is why the two sorceress' couldn't get along too well. Firstly, Lina referred to Amelia's sister as Naga. The princess was indeed kept in the dark on the origins of this name - But whilst Amelia referred to her sister by her proper name, Lina kept using the 'Naga' pseudonym. Amelia tried to set an example by using the Gracia name but to little effect. Okay, so maybe Sylphiel, Zelgadis and Gourry used both names, but Lina used the Naga name exclusively.

It didn't, however, take long for the princess to reach the conclusion that the redhead was using that name out of contempt.

Secondly Amelia had heard numerous times previously that the two sorceress' had travelled together long before Amelia met Lina. But the arrangement wasn't a satisfactory one - or at least that's what the redhead told her.

But the princess was baffled as to why Lina would be so horrible to Gracia. In the time travelling together Amelia had come to know her long lost sister - Thankfully, Gracia turned out to quite a nice person. She turned out to be of a humorous and resourceful nature, and she seemed eager to help her younger sister whenever possible.

Gracia even had a laugh which the princess found amusing!

Oddly enough, neither Zel, Lina, Syl or Gourry shared the same opinions.....

Just then, Amelia looked up to see the remnants of the battle before her.

Lina was busy chatting away to Gourry. The latter looking vacant as ever and the former looking absolutely bored. Nearby, Syl was making herself busy with a healing spell and over there Zel was.....

....stalking over the dazed bandits with his sword drawn.

Amelia frowned. Even though she couldn't see his face, she already knew that was twisted into a horrific expression of rage.

The princess blinked at the chimera. What was going on here? This was most unusual: She hadn't seen him behave like this before.....

However it didn't take her long to hit upon what he was thinking. A strong sense of alarm ignited within her brain, urging her to make her way towards him.....

Zel couldn't hear the princess approach. Instead his mind was, as ever, a world apart.

He looked at his hands - in one time in a million over. Yes, his curse was still there. It hadn't gone - and, from the looks of it, it was here to stay.

It was ironic that, mere days ago, he had the cure in his grasp. After all this time, after so much searching and countless months of travelling, he had finally found exactly what had been driving him onward. He had the one thing that occupied his mind from dawn to dusk in his fingers at long last.

But as it turned out, he wasn't the only one whom was stricken with a chimera curse.

No, Amelia, through circumstances most peculiar, had too been turned into a chimera herself.

And so when Zel managed to find a cure of his curse....

....he didn't wind up using it for his benefit.

Thus, ever since that fateful day, Zelgadis has been consumed further by his inner demons. Punishing himself, cursing himself, deeming himself a fool for not taking the opportunity when he saw it.

And, in punishment for his actions, the chimera......was still a chimera.

Consequently, he felt a rage lurking within the depths of his soul. A rage that had been waiting patiently to be released. A rage that fed on the chimera's newly discovered frustration. A rage that grew all the more larger with each passing day. A rage that was slowly reaping control over unwitting Zelgadis.

Just then, the chimera's ears pricked up. He could have sworn he heard a soft moan.....

The chimera flicked his head around, in the general direction of this new sound.

It didn't take him long to identify the source.

There, bloodied and muddied but still quite alive, one of the bandits struggled up on his elbows. He seemed unable to move his legs.

Zel's eyes hardened. He recognised this man. He was one of the few whom called him a monster and seemed eager to send him back to hell from whence he came.

The chimera could feel his grip tighten around his sword hilt. The time has come for revenge. Whilst Zelgadis may have escaped the gates of Hell today, that's not saying that the bandit was equally fortunate.....

And if said bandit is having trouble getting up, the least the chimera could do was put him out of his misery.....

And in a flash of movement, Zelgadis rode on the desire of vengeance and sped towards the hapless bandit.

The bandit didn't see the chimera approach. Instead, he continued to fight the pain in his injured legs and to get up off the ground.

However this struggle came to an abrupt end. It wasn't long before the bandit found himself staring down the blade of a well-used sword. A well used sword that was gripped by that....monster. Only now the monster was looking quite furious.

Confronted with a frighteningly-sharp end of a blade and a facial expression of pure rage, there was little the bandit could do but grin a foolish grin.

"Ah, heh, heh." The bandit blurted out. "No hard feelings right pal?"

Zel didn't answer. Instead he grabbed the bandit by the scruff of his collar and hurled him upwards. Then, the chimera stuck his foot out onto one of the bandit's injured legs.

And applied pressure.

The bandit yelped with pain - But there was no use in screaming. Particularly when one is faced with a such a wicked blade along with an expression of such homicidal intent.

"Don't kill me!" the bandit stammered.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't" growled the chimera in a voice that was as sharp and dangerous as a razor blade.

"Come on!" came the, rather desperate, reply. "My legs are finished! You wouldn't kill a wounded man would you?"

"No I wouldn't" Zel snarled. "I will just make sure he suffers first!"

"You...you.....monster!"

Upon hearing this, something inside Zel snapped. Immediately, his eyes ignited with red fervour. A call for blood was stirring in his veins...

..... and he was all too willing to surrender to it.

"You" Zelgadis growled, in voice that seemed to reveal a faltering sense of self-control, "You are going to be the last man to call me that."

And the bandit would have been cut down there and then.....

..... had it not been for a sudden intervention.

"Wait!" came a shout.

Zel looked up to see Amelia come hurrying over to his side, her face a mix of horror, desperation and disbelief. And hot on her heels came Lina, Gourry and Sylphiel.

The princess had seen everything - and she wasn't liking it at all.

For the past few weeks, Amelia had worked hard to break down the borders that walled herself from the chimera. And in that time, her patience paid off and Zelgadis revealed the humanity hidden underneath the rocky surface.

But what she had witnessed was not the actions of the man she had come to love.

Indeed Zelgadis' behaviour had changed dramatically over the past few days. He became more moody and distant then ever before. He became even more solitary and more withdrawn towards Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel and even Amelia.

And the reasons for this change in behaviour shouldn't come as a surprise. It was fairly obvious that Zel was struck down with bitterness ever since the events in Dakeyras. And his consistent search for a cure had now catapulted into an obsession....

"STOP!" Amelia exclaimed.

"No!" Zelgadis shouted back. "I'm going to make this bastard pay!"

"Forget him Zel!" Lina said. "He's not worth it!"

"Maybe not to you, but he is to me!" retorted the chimera, his voice rich in rage.

Just then, Amelia reached out and touched the chimera gently on his sword hand.

"Don't kill him" she said softly. "Please don't...."

Zel was taken aback by the softness of Amelia's hand. It felt so gentle and so intimate.

And it was in that moment that he could feel the blood-lust inside him slowly evaporate.....

Eventually, the chimera relented. He lowered his sword and dropped the injured bandit - who made a thud as his head hit the ground.

"Zelgadis?" Amelia asked. "Are you all right?"

Zel didn't answer. Instead, he bowed his head.

Suddenly Gourry shouted.

Immediately all eyes turned over to see a man stumbling into the battlefield. Unfortunately for this newcomer, he had underestimated an escape route from his hiding place. And as his flight was blocked with bushes and undergrowth, the man's escape was hardly silent.

Or successful.

Suddenly the man caught his foot on a nearby shrub, sending him crashing down to the grassy floor.

Grimacing with pain, the man looked up.....

.....to see five pairs of eyes staring at him quizzically.

The five adventurers blinked as Aldebrand grinned at his idiocy.

"Who's that guy?" Gourry inquired.

"And why was he hiding in those bushes?" Amelia added.

"I can tell you, I'm not liking the looks of him" Lina growled.

"No Lina!" Sylphiel interjected. "You should be rational about this! Aren't you jumping to conclusions here?"

"Oh come on Syl!" the red-head retorted. "Look at him! He's got a sword and armour!"

"So?" the shrine maiden argued. "And you think he's a warrior from that conclusion?"

"Hrmmmmmm......yes?"

"But why was he hiding in those bushes?" Gourry asked. "You don't suppose that he's been spying on us?"

Immediately, the swordsman found himself at the receiving end of four startled stares.

"W-W-W-What?"

"You know something Gourry?" Lina grinned. "You've given me a good excuse to toast this guy!"

"No!" Syl exclaimed - but it was too late.

"FIREBALL!"

Immediately a ball of flame burst out from in front of the sorceress and cruised through the air towards it's hapless target. Aldebrand let out a scream of alarm before struggling onto his feet. Panic gave him the strength to get up off the ground and run. It was then that urgency of the situation that the mercenary found the wings to flee the scene.

With the fireball in hot pursuit.

"After him!" Lina yelled, taking up the chase.

Gourry shrugged and took after the sorceress. Syl, looking rather anxious, followed.

This left Amelia with Zelgadis. The princess turned to the chimera.

"You coming?" she said.

Zel sighed before nodding his consent.

And they sped off together.

Seconds later, Naga the Serpent plummeted in from the heavens, making contact with the ground with an enormous crash.

"You're a meanie Lina......" she mumbled.

* * *

Aldebrand could feel the blood flowing through his veins at an astonishing rate. He could feel the sense of urgency and alarm driving him onward. His expression had moulded into one of absolute fear.

Hell, if anyone else were in his shoes, they would probably be as panicked as he was now.

But then again, what normal person would find themselves being pursued by a large fireball?!

Running as fast as his legs would carry him, the mercenary continued to evade his unusual pursuer. Suddenly, desperation formed a plan within his mind. A plan that was so simple, yet so effective. A plan that required the right amount of guts, determination and timing.

A plan that was so simple.....

Taking his chances, Aldebrand bowed his head and leapt straight for the ground. He landed on his stomach with a soft thump.

He didn't dare to look up. But his ears caught the sound of the fireball burning it's way through the air above his head.

Eventually, the fireball travelled away from the scene, growing ever the more distant from the prostrate mercenary.

According to the Aldebrand's ears, the fireball was gone. But the mercenary didn't raise his head straight away. Instead he paused, contemplating how safe the current situation was. Had the fireball really gone for good? Was he out of danger entirely? And what about those interlopers? He knew they were on his tail as well - so how far away were they? Had he managed to lose them?

Why should he care? He's faced many adversaries before. And he slaughtered them all - even when they ganged up on him and the odds weren't in his favour. Why should these newcomers provide much of a threat? As far as he was concerned, they were just another bunch of obstacles - hardly a threat at all.

But they can cast spells - And Aldebrand's experiences with facing enemy magic has led him to the conclusion that the craft of magic is one of most unpredictable nature.

But then again, why should that be a bother?

Eventually the mercenary got up off the ground and raised his head.

A mistake.

Immediately, Lina's fireball burst out from nowhere and engulfed the hapless mercenary!

The mercenary fell back onto the floor, flames dancing up and down his flesh.

How is that possible? He thought he evaded the fireball! He was certain of it! How the hell did it come back?!!??

But should he complain? He, after all, could've heeded the doubts that ran inside his head.

Okay so maybe _that_'s how much of a threat a spell-caster can be.....

By the time Lina and Gourry came across the scene, they found a fairly sorry sight. There was the mercenary, fried to a crisp. His hair had been singed, his flesh had turned to charcoal and he was, completely, utterly incinerated.

Lina chuckled at the pathetic sight before her.

"Well that's what you get for spying on us!" she grinned.

"Hey Lina" Gourry said. "I wonder who this guy is? He looks like he's seen a few battles......"

"Well I can tell you one thing" the red-head replied, cracking her knuckles. "He's not going to see any more!"

And with that she grabbed Aldebrand by the scruff of his collar. But even though, the mercenary sensed certain doom, he didn't show it.

"Do your worst!" he snarled at the sorceress.

"Very well then" Lina replied with a shrug.

And with that she hurled the mercenary with all her might! The hapless Aldebrand flew through the air with a scream of utter terror.

Fortunately, for the mercenary, his flight path was short lived.

Unfortunately for the mercenary, his flight path ended abruptly - with a tree.

Aldebrand hit the tree with a tremendous crash. He groaned with pain as the full impact of the crash, reverberated through his body. Then, with a sound that revealed the utter agony that was cursing through the mercenary's system, Aldebrand's injured form came down to the trunk of the tree.

But the mercenary's troubles were far from over yet! He wasn't the only one in that part of the forest at the time: Amelia, who was still running after Lina, entered the scene. She had been several feet away from the tree when Aldebrand crashed into it.

Needless to say, the princess got the shock of her life upon seeing something huge and black suddenly come thundering through the sky, out of nowhere, only to hit a nearby tree with such incredible force!

But it didn't take her long to draw to the conclusion that this sudden event bore all the signs of the handiwork of Lina Inverse.

Grinning an amused grin, the princess strode over to the hapless mercenary and grabbed him by the collar. Slowly Aldebrand, opened his eyes.....

......only to be confronted with a pair of enormous blue eyes. But when confronted with such a sight of beauty, there was little he could do but quiver with panic. He recognised this girl all right.....

_Oh no._ he thought. _Will this ever end? Who the hell are these people?!?!_

"Did you know that spying is a violation of the Code of Justice?" Amelia smiled, sweetly.

_Code of Justice?!?!_ The mercenary thought. _What the hell is she going on about?!?_

Oh, what does it matter? I gotta get outta here!

Riding upon the desperation of the situation, Aldebrand's mind quickly began formulating a plot. A plot that may not benefit his employer's plans but it may save his own skin.....

"You're intruders here!" the mercenary snapped. "You are trespassing!"

Just then, Amelia caught the sound of running feet. Looking she saw Lina and Gourry run up, whilst Zel hurried onto the scene from the opposite direction.

"Amelia!" Lina beamed.

Then she noticed her prisoner. "Ah, I see you've found him as well"

The princess giggled.

"I say we kill him" Zel growled.

"You do that and my secrets die with me!" the mercenary retorted.

"Secrets eh?" Lina murmured, grinning a malevolent grin. "Now, I'm curious....."

"I'll take it from here" she said to Amelia.

The princess nodded, and released her grip on Aldebrand's collar.

The mercenary blinked - before Lina's arm quickly pulled him into a choke hold!

"Now then" Lina purred. "What were you saying about secrets?"

"There's a gold mine not far from here! I don't want scum like you finding it!"

It wasn't so much that he wanted to give away the secrets of his employer but all the mercenary wanted was to escape these lunatics!

Upon hearing Aldebrand's words, Lina looked up with an expression of pure astonishment. She didn't even feel her grip loosening on the mercenary nor the sound of him falling to the ground of a huge thud.

What mattered was one thing: GOLD!

Immediately, her eyes began blazing with greedy fervour and her mouth morphed into a twisted grin.

"There's a gold mine around eh?" she murmured.

And she would've sprinted off - had not Zelgadis shot out his hand to grab her by the wrist.

The sorceress, her expression now sour, turned to see the chimera looking rather concerned.

"Outta my way Zel!" the red-head said. "I gonna find that gold mine at any costs!"

"Do calm down Lina" the chimera replied sternly. "Shouldn't you be rational about this?"

"So what?" the redhead yelled. "There's a gold mine! That's all I need to know!"

"Yes but he gave his information away so willing!" Zel retorted.

"Yeah!" Amelia agreed. "It could be a trap!"

"Not when there's gold involved!" Lina retorted.

And with that, she burst from Zelgadis' grip and sprinted off in a cloud of dust. Gourry shrugged before taking off after her.

The chimera and the princess exchanged glances.

"Do you really think she cares?" Amelia asked.

"I seriously doubt whether she will ever learn" Zel replied. "She doesn't seem too concerned that she might be walking into a trap"

"I feel more sorry for the people who are waiting for her!" the princess chuckled.

* * *

The gold mine wasn't a cheerful sight. It was a compound made up out of shabby buildings centred around a steep mountainside. Slaves toiled under the warm sun and in sweat as they delved deep into the earth to mine gold to satisfy the demands of their master. Cruel overseers each worked with a whip and a vigilant eye to make sure the slaves did their job without complaining or any type of protest.

As the slaves had been working from dawn to dusk for so many days, they lost all concept of time. And being secluded in a deep part of the forest, in such a position of isolation, their work went on without any type of interference.

But all this was about to change.

Already the day was looking out to be another day of hard work.

That was until the compound was rocked by a huge explosion on the edge of the forest.

Such was the force of the explosion that all the occupants of the mine, overseer and worker alike, all looked up. All onlookers wondered what on earth would've caused such an explosion.

They didn't have long before they got their answer.

Suddenly from the trees, came a red-headed sorceress, running at top speed. Her eyes were blazing with gold lust and she was rambling on to herself whilst counting off on her fingers:

".....And when I get my huge palace, I'll will get a thousand servants and then my own personalised restaurant and then......"

And hot on the sorceress' heels came a tall blond swordsman.

All in the mining compound stared in astonishment. All but one overseer. He was a huge, muscular brute with a massive scar on his left cheek and cruel face.

"Get back to work!" he bellowed, taking control of the situation. "I'll deal with this!"

Immediately, the workers all returned to their respective tasks - Whilst the brute advanced towards the gates of the compound and towards the newcomers.

As Lina and Gourry charged at full speed towards the mine, the brute stood firm right in their path. He confronted these approaching intruders with a ferocious snarl.

He shouldn't have bothered.

No force on earth can ever stop Lina Inverse when she is possessed by gold lust. Consequently, the sorceress charged right up to the brute and pushed him aside - as if he were a little child! The brute came crashing down to the floor, whilst Lina and Gourry charged into the compound.

The redhead ran up to the nearest miner and grabbed him by the collar.

"WHERE'S THE GOLD?!?!?!?" She shouted, with a huge grin. Fortunately for the sorceress, this miner wasn't the type to provide any sort of confrontation. Well, anyone in his position wouldn't have stood in Lina Inverse's way!

"Over there!" the miner blurted out, pointing out the hole in the mountainside.

Satisfied with her answer, the sorceress sprinted over the hole, knocking all the miners and overseers who stood in her way. Needless to say, such obstacles proved to be of little threat - Indeed, they were too startled by this sudden intrusion then to even deal with it.

Eventually, Lina made it to the entrance of the mine and charged inside.

Two miners who happened to be lurking near the entrance, exchanged bewildered glances.

"Who on earth was that?" one of them asked.

The answer to that question came from Gourry's lips as he raced past: "Lina Inverse!"

The miners exchanged horrified glances: "Lina Inverse?!?!?"

Immediately, the two miners sprinted back through the compound yelling out that the intruder was none other then the famed bandit killer and property destroyer.

It was only a matter of seconds before the compound was swept up in a tsunami of mass panic. All the miners immediately forget all about breaking rock by command of their malevolent master. And all the overseers lost all concept of restoring order.

All that mattered was that Lina Inverse was in the compound. And now was not the time to hang around. 

At the gates, the brute of the overseer, got up off the ground. He didn't who was that lousy bitch who knocked him over but one's thing for sure: She won't be alive long enough to regret it! He's going to find that woman and teach her a lesson through the business end of his trusty blade!

As feelings of vengeance flowed through his veins, the brute stood up.

Only to be knocked off his feet again by a crowd of fleeing miners and overseers, all keen to flee the compound.

* * *

Lina charged into the mine. And as all the miners had already fled, she met no challenges in her path. But what did it matter? She was gonna be rich!

The sorceress ran down a seemingly endless passageway cut into rock, driven on by her greed. But had she stopped to notice, she would've noticed that the rock that made up the walls of the passageway bore signs of being picked bare.....

Eventually, Lina reached the end of the passageway - only to be confronted with another overseer. This one was too of muscular stature and cruel features. He also had a eye patch covering his left eye.

He was also wondering where all his miners had got to.

Thus, he was not expecting to see the sorceress show up.

The overseer fixed the red-head with his one cruel eye.

"Who are you?" he snarled. What are you doing here?"

Lina didn't answer. Instead she jumped onto him and grabbed him by the collar, her eyes glittering more feverishly then before.

"Where's the gold?" she demanded with a twisted grin.

"Gold?" retorted the overseer. "Ha! There is no gold!"

And in an instant, the greed that drove Lina onward lost it's sparkle.

"No gold?" she exclaimed. Her grip on the overseer loosened and her facial expression paled - it was as if this sudden piece of news was too much to handle. She was so taken aback by this revelation, that she didn't notice Gourry march onto the scene.

"Yeah that's right" the overseer snapped. "There's no gold. We've already taken out all the gold that was here and dispatched it to our master. We were only minutes away from abandoning this site and......."

But Lina wasn't listening. Now that she had been confronted with the fact that the mine had been drained of all it's gold, the greedy fervour in Lina's eyes died away completely - only to be replaced seconds later by fervour of the furious kind!

"YOU'VE TAKEN ALL THE GOLD?!??!?" she roared at the overseer, now returning to a firm grip on the overseer's collar and looking seconds away from throttling him.

It was there and then that the swordsman decided to intervene. He reached out and grabbed the redhead in his arms.

"Hey!" she shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Forget it Lina!" Gourry said. "There's nothing for us here! You heard him! There's no gold left!"

"But......"

"LEAVE HIM LINA!" the swordsman shouted. "There's nothing left."

Lina squirmed in Gourry's arms, but eventually, as she contemplated his words, her struggling ceased and she nodded her consent.

Satisfied that a conclusion had been reached, Gourry set the sorceress down and headed back through the passageway and out of the mountain. Lina, now looking rather forlorn, followed.

"No gold...." She was muttering. "There was no gold.....someone's gonna pay....."

And when Lina's pissed off, no force on earth can withstand her wrath.

And if Gourry had been more perceptive, he would've noticed the sorceress mouthing silent words.

Eventually, after spending so much time walking, the swordsman saw sunlight up ahead. Grinning, he turned to th redhead.....

.....only to see her turn around and utter two words of doom.

"DRAGON SLAVE!"

"No!" Gourry shouted.

But it was too late - within seconds, the passageway was engulfed in blinding white light.

* * *

Back at the entrance of the mining compound, the brute struggled to his feet. He already knew that the crowd who overcame him were the workers he was charged with. But what had made them flee like that? Was this their idea of a revolt? Or was it out of mass panic?

No matter, he is going to get to the bottom of this and find those responsible.

And make them pay.

Suddenly, the brute found himself being shoved out of the way by a pair of strong hands. The overseer went down, again, with another great crash.

Zelgadis and Amelia charged into the compound, looking for Gourry and Lina.

"Curious" Zel said. "What is this place? It looks abandoned."

"Do you suppose this is where Lina and Gourry went?" the princess asked.

"Could be" the chimera replied. "This place bears signs of recent use."

Amelia opened her mouth to speak.

But no sound came as the mountain suddenly exploded! The ground shook with the force of a tremendous roar! Great amounts of rock came tumbling in from the heavens!

The chimera and the princess exchanged astonished glances.

"What the....." Amelia started.

"GET DOWN!" Zel shouted. And with that he, using his body as a human shield, grabbed the princess and dived into cover, as the entire compound shook from the explosion. The pair had dived behind a house and waited....

The rumbling echoed throughout the compound for several minutes. Rocks of all sizes came plummeting down and hit the ground with incredible force. Various sounds of destruction echoed throughout the buildings, but Zel and Amelia never looked up once.

Eventually, the rumbling slowly died away - to reveal a deathly silence.

And it was in this stillness that Zel slowly looked up. Was it over? Has the danger passed....?

Suddenly he felt Amelia's soft hand on his chin. He looked down to see that, in providing himself as a human shield, he had now pinned her to the floor.

The princess smiled warmly as a soft blush made it's way across Zelgadis' face.

"Are.....are you all right?" Zel inquired.

"Of course" Amelia smiled. "Thanks to you"

It was there and then that Zelgadis' blush grew even redder - much to the princess' amusement

"That's another time you saved my life" she said softly.

And with that she raised her head and planted a small kiss on his cheek.....

Zel sighed softly. Eventually, his lips formed into a grin.

"Come on" he said, reaching out his hand. "Lets get out of here"

And with that, he helped the princess to her feet.

The two friends then stepped out from behind the house. All around was utter devastation: The entire compound had been engulfed in a huge cloud of dust, the mountain had been obliterated - leaving nothing but a smouldering crater. Some of the buildings in the compound had either collapsed from the force of the explosion or had been crushed by the rocks which used to be part of the mountain itself. And small fires were burning all around.

"What on earth happened here?" Zel demanded.

"You don't suppose this is Lina's work do you?" the princess inquired.

"That's a fairly obvious question" the chimera chuckled. "How else could that mountain exploded?

Suddenly, it was there and then that the conversation was interrupted - When a scream echoed out from up above. A scream that sounded distinctively familiar....

This scream was soon followed by human-shaped object. An human-shaped object that came plummeting in from up above - before striking the ground with such a force and eventually skidding it's way up to the feet of the two startled onlookers.

Although dazed and bruised, Gourry Gabriev looked up - to see Zelgadis and Amelia gaping in disbelief.

"Hi guys" the swordsman managed to mumble. "What's up?"

"Amelia?" Zel said. "Does that answer your question?"

The princess didn't answer. Instead she knelt down beside Gourry, to cast a healing spell.

The chimera also knelt down - but he was more interested in finding out how the mountain was obliterated.

"Gourry" Zelgadis said, urgently. "What happened to the mountain?"

Although still dazed, Gourry still managed speech:

"Lina.....went to....find gold....But found it empty......Wooohooooo!"

Upon hearing this assessment of events, the princess and the chimera exchanged bewildered glances.

"If Lina didn't find any gold then she would've been furious....." Amelia said.

".....Furious enough to cast the Dragon Slave spell" Zel finished.

Silence followed

.....only to be broken by the distant sound of approaching footsteps.

The chimera and the princess both got to their feet.....

.....to see Lina Inverse emerge from the dust cloud. She looked grubby, battered and bore signs of once being controlled by her fury. But at the same time, she looked vindicated.

Upon seeing Amelia and Zel, the red-head's face lit up.

"Hey guys!" she grinned.

"Are you feeling better now?" Zel said, his voice showing signs of apprehension.

"You could say that" the sorceress replied with a wink.

* * *

Meanwhile back the entrance, the brute, once again, got to his feet. At this point in time, he was extremely furious. He had been shoved out of the way by intruders to the mine and he had crushed by a panic drawn from his underlings!

And as the brute looked around, he had further reason to get infuriated. He saw that the entire mine had been obliterated! The buildings had collapsed and there was a huge dust cloud all around! What the hell had just happened here?!

No matter - now was the time for a change.....

He was now being urged on by a blood-lust. He was going to find the bastards who caused this little uproar and send them to Hell as painfully as possible.

He looked up, through the dust cloud, to see four strangers all gathered in a group.

The brute grinned. So, these are the troublemakers are they? Not for much longer....

Suddenly, two words rang out, as clear as a bell:

"DEMONIC CRYSTAL!"

Instantaneously, the brute found himself engulfed in a strange crystal formation. A formation that rendered his limbs immobile and his joints paralysed. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't do anything.

So much for vengeance...

* * *

Just then, Naga, with Sylphiel following close behind, came running over to the little group.

"Aha Lina!" the raven-haired sorceress grinned. "There you are!"

"Ah, ha, ha, ha" the redhead stammered. "Naga.....you're still alive....."

"Of course!" Naga retorted. "Nothing can ever defeat Naga the serpent!"

Lina quickly saw where this was heading and interjected:

"But you haven't done anything!" she protested. "All you've done is get in my way!"

Upon hearing this, Syl spoke up: "But that doesn't give you a good reason to blast your former friend with an Explosion Array spell!"

"Syl" the red-head replied. "Naga is NOT my friend."

"That's right!" the raven-haired sorceress yelled. "I am Lina's most powerful _rival_!"

The shrine maiden blinked. "But....you were just....."

"Don't worry Sylphiel!" Naga went on. "If I get in Lina's way, then I am stopping her to becoming more powerful than I am!!!!"

And then......came the laugh:

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

This was soon followed by Lina twitching with rage, Syl looking utterly bewildered by the events transpiring before her and Gourry groaning with derision from the floor.

Amelia. however chuckled to herself - until she felt Zel's hand on her shoulder.

"So let me get this straight" he asked, nodding towards the cackling Naga with a concerned expression. "She is your sister, right?"

* * *

Onto Chapter 2!  
Contents  



	3. 2 Bonkers

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Chapter 2  
Bonkers! - the Saillune family reunion!

* * *

And then what happened?

Why do you ask? I've just told you a complete story. What more can I tell you?

What's that?

Ah, it seems I was wrong about you. You may be blind to the fact that my world-weary experiences hide under a cloak of a drunk but, at the same time, you are perceptive enough to know that my story doesn't end there.

Okay, maybe I am wrong to judge you so quickly - Even as you were so quick to judge me when I started this tale. Why don't we call it quits now, eh?

Good. Now as long as you're all listening and my tankard is kept full, I'll continue on with this story.

Having survived that incident at the mine, Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel, Naga, Zelgadis and Amelia all resumed their journey, continuing onto their original destination. A destination that promised a warm welcome.

But even the most warmest welcomes can be, at times, overbearing.

"It is so good to see you all again!" Crown Prince Philionel Saillune joyfully boomed, scooping up the swordsman, the sorceress, the shrine maiden, the chimera and the princess all into one of his bone-crushing bear hugs.   
"I'm so glad that you're all alive! I thought you were all dead!"

Sadly, for the Crown prince, whilst he had fully grasped the happiness of the situation, his eagerness to share it had overcome the concern for the people involved.

"....Nice....see....you.....Phil" Zel choked.

"...Lemme....outta.....here!" Gourry gasped.

"...I...can't .....breathe!" Sylphiel mumbled.

"....Dammit....Phil.....Must...you...do....this....every....time!?" Lina spluttered.

Eventually, Philionel released his prisoners from his bear hug. Instantaneously, Syl, Lina, Gourry and Zel fell to the floor, all struggling to get back some circulation into their lungs! Amelia however, well used to years of her father's bone-crunching hugs, landed gracefully to her feet.

Ignoring the other three, Phil laid a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"And I am so glad to see you again" the crown prince said. "I really thought I was going to lose you"

"Oh Daddy!" Amelia answered. "You needn't have worried!"

Unnoticed by the two members of the Saillune ruling house, Lina and Gourry exchanged exasperated glances on the floor.

"Gourry?" the sorceress said, with an expression of utter disgust. "I think I'm gonna be sick....."

"After all" Philionel went on, grinning a wide grin at Amelia, "Nothing can stand against in the way of the Power of Justice!"

"Yay!" Amelia replied, proclaiming her approval.

"Correction" the redhead muttered. "I AM going to be sick!"

"Ah, come on Lina!" the swordsman grinned. "Isn't great to see the Saillune family reunited?"

"Gourry?"

"Yes?"

"Not only are you an absolute moron but you're a TRAITOR!!!!!"

"Quiet!" Zel snapped. "We're in the presence of royalty here, so watch what you say!"

"Zel…" the sorceress retorted. "They're all bonkers! The fact that they're royalty doesn't change a thing!"

"Just shut up, dammit!"

Fortunately for Lina, Phil didn't seem to pay much attention to her grumbling. Thus, he was left undisturbed as he was off and waffling on a speech of his own devising.

"Yes, Amelia, the day is coming when my time as Crown Prince as Saillune will come to an end. Therefore, you will have to assume to position which I hold now!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Sylphiel. "That sounds amazing!"

Upon hearing this, the princess' smile vanished from her face. She didn't like the sudden change of direction that Daddy's speech had taken.

And, unfortunately for Amelia, when Phil starts up on a speech, there is next to nothing that can stop him from completing it. Thus, at that point in time, he was in his element:

"….And once you've ascended to the throne of Crown Princess, I hope that you have someone wise and strong to sit beside you and assist you in your royal duties!"

Upon hearing this, both Lina and Gourry, thrust the evilest of glances of Zelgadis' direction. The chimera quickly sensed this and blinked at his companions.

"Wha….what? Why are you both staring at me like that?"

"……And I hope that you have lot's of children that grow up to become brave and strong and fully devoted to the cause of Justice!!!" Philionel went on.

"That sounds like an incredible!" Syl beamed.

"From the looks of it" Lina grinned at Zel "Phil seems quite determined to find Amelia someone for when she succeeds him."

"Some……. Someone?" the chimera echoed.

"I wonder who will be the first choice on her mind?" Gourry grinned.

Zelgadis didn't reply. Instead a huge blush erupted across his face.

Sensing victory, Lina's grin grew ever wider and more evil.

"Ha ha! Looks like you're going to be spending the rest of your life with these crackpots!"

"What?!" Zel exclaimed. "Who said that I'm going to do a thing like that?!"

"So, you're saying that the royal life doesn't suit you?"

"No!" the chimera snapped back. "Finding my cure is a greater priority than anything else at the moment!"

"What, even more than Amelia?" Gourry sniggered.

Upon hearing this, Zelgadis stopped. It seems he had been caught out.

Fortunately, no one seemed to be paying much attention to this bickering: Philionel had launched into a long, pretentious, and ultimately aimless, tirade about how great the kingdom will be when his daughter take over. Sylphiel seemed to be hanging on every word and backing Phil's vision as he described it. Amelia, however, wasn't liking the sounds of this vision and remained silent as a hurricane of emotions ran riot through her head.

Immediately, Lina and Gourry started going into a play act. Nobody dared to challenge them because they didn't notice.

"Oh poor Amelia!" the swordsman proclaimed in a fake, melodramatic voice, "She would be faced with ruling Saillune all by herself with no one at her side!"

"And her heart would be so empty!" the sorceress said, also in the same fake voice. "All because the one she loves is so far away!"

"So many suitors would hear of a beautiful princess ruling Saillune!" Gourry added. "And they would come for miles to try and win her over!"

"But they will all get turned down" Lina put in. "All because not one of them is Zelgadis!"

"And where would Zelgadis be when his princess needs him the most?"

"Why Gourry, he would be searching the world over for his cure – While his princess is at home nursing the most wounded of hearts!"

The chimera could feel his hands twitch with rage and his teeth grind together in frustration. But he knew better than to strike blood in the presence of royalty.

By now, however, Phil had come to the end of his speech and was now facing Syl with a kindly expression his face.

"And I should thank you, Sylphiel, for recovering my daughter"

"You're welcome" the Shrine Maiden smiled.

"Now then" Phil said. "I would love to hear all of your adventures over dinner. But until then, you are all guests here in Saillune. Therefore, I grant you the freedom of the city for the entire afternoon....."

"Oh Daddy?" Amelia said. "Before we go any further, I think there is something you should know....."

"Oh?" the crown prince inquired. "What?"

But the answer to the question came not from Amelia's lips but from a ghastly cacophony that echoed across the room.

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

And with that, Naga the Serpent came striding into the room, as arrogant as ever and oblivious to the cringed expressions that her companions bore.

Upon seeing this new arrival, Philionel raised an eyebrow. Curious....

Who is this woman? She seems distinctively familiar.....

He had never seen her before but, for some peculiar reason, he sensed some sort of kinship. And the more he thought about, the more feasible the idea grew.

There was something in her stride, the mass of long black hair, the eyes, the facial features and the……outfit…….

And when Naga laid eyes on the crown prince for the first time, her trademark laugh died off right in the middle. Her eyes winded and her face paled - for something deep inside, a long forgotten distant memory was stirring.

She had no idea who this man but, for a reason she couldn't quite grasp, his face seemed familiar. It seemed like she had seen it many, many, many years before

Suddenly, it hit her like the force of a Dragon Slave obliterating a stone golem, a city and some peculiar Elfish creation.

Naga's eyes widened as the sense of revelation overwhelmed her.

After so long.....Father.....

It was Zelgadis who spoke first.

"Philionel?" He said. "May I present, Naga the Serpent. A friend of ours"

"No wait!" Amelia cried. "Her name's...."

But before the princess could finish her sentence, Sylphiel's hand came down on her mouth. Amelia glared indignantly at the shrine maiden whom merely winked.

Phil strode towards the newcomer fixing her in a quizzical gaze. He had a feeling he should know this woman but he couldn't think why. Thus, he was intrigued enough to learn _who_ this woman was.

Naga didn't try to run – And how could she? Her thoughts were too caught up in a whirlwind of confusion. Therefore, she was too preoccupied to make any immediate action.

After so long, she had finally returned to the home of her father.

The Crown Prince stopped before the raven-haired sorceress and looked her up and down.

"You're name is Naga?" he said at last.

"Y-Y-Yes" the sorceress managed to mumble.

"You seem confounded" Phil noted. "Have you ever been to Saillune before?"

"..No...." came the reply. "Yet....I have heard of the name....."

"Well in that case" Philionel said. "May I welcome you, as Crown Prince, to my city."

"They're taking their time" Lina muttered, under her breath.

"Just have patience" Zel whispered back.

"You say you're a friend of Lina?" he continued.

Immediately, the red-head started coughing - But not that anyone noticed.

"Well then" the crown prince went on, unperturbed. "A friend of Lina and Amelia is a friend of mine."

"Call me Phil" he grinned, holding out his hand in greeting.

Naga returned the handshake. But even then she could feel the blood rushing though her system in excitement.

"Get on with it!!!!" Lina snarled softly.

"Quiet!" the chimera shot back.

The crown prince raised an eyebrow. "Odd, your hand is shaking"

Meanwhile, Lina grit her teeth and took a deep breath:

"SHE'S YOU'RE LONG LOST DAUGHTER GRACIA, DAMMIT!!!!!"

Immediately, all eyes turned on the frustrated red-head as Zelgadis slapped his forehead in exasperation.

"Lina!" Amelia and Sylphiel exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh come on!" the sorceress snapped back. "This was taking too long!"

Philionel looked at Lina and then to Naga in utter bewilderment. The crown prince faltered, as a tsunami of revelation engulfed him.

The concept of this woman being his long-missing daughter Gracia was at once both abrupt and too difficult to grasp. Indeed, this seemed all too good to be true. Was this an illusion? Was this a dream? A miracle? Or a trick of deception?

But no, the hand he held in his seemed genuine.....

Then everything fell into place. It all made sense now. Her facial features, the fact she was hanging around with Amelia and the peculiar sense that she seemed familiar.

"G-G-Gracia" the crown prince stammered. "Is it really you?"

Despite the fact that her lips were quavering in the emotional intensity of the present situation, Naga's lips formed into a smile.

"....Yes....it is" she managed to whisper.

Then, the Crown Prince snapped. He let out an emotionally-choked shout and scooped up the sorceress into another of his bear hugs. Naga grinned and Amelia came running over to share in the tender moment.

A family had been reunited at long last.

Lina and Gourry exchanged astonished glances.

"You know something?" the sorceress said to the swordsman. "I need a bathroom and quick!"

Then, although his eyes were cloaked with tears, Philionel began to laugh. A laugh that was soon joined in by Naga and Amelia. A laugh that boomed with the strength of three powerful lungs from the Saillune household.

Lina sank to the floor as the horrendous noise echoed throughout the chamber.

"Some one kill me now, please...." she moaned.

* * *

Such was the sensation of this recent family reunion, that the palace throne room was filled with chatter from the three surviving members of the Saillune household. All were speaking at once for the next several minutes:

"So Gracia, did you really know Lina many years before?" Philionel inquired.

"Yes!" Naga replied. "We had met years earlier and travelled around together for quite some time!"

"Wow!" Amelia said. "What was Lina like back then?"

"Well" the raven-haired sorceress said. "As I recall, she had a short temper….."

"WHO SAYS I HAVE A SHORT TEMPER?!?!!?" came a very angry shout across the room.

Unperturbed Naga continued: "….…and she had an enormous appetite and very small breasts!"

"Wow Lina!" Gourry noted. "You were the same back then as you are now!"

"Errr…..Gourry?" Zel said. "You certainly have a poor choice of words."

And before the swordsman knew it, the sorceress reached up and grabbed him by his collar.

Her eyes blazed red with ferocity and she snarled out ever word at the swordsman one after the other:

"Give. Me. One. Reason. Why. I. Should. Not. Fireball. You. Right. Here. Right. NOW"

Fortunately for Lina, the altercation between herself and Gourry went unnoticed by the Saillunes – they were simply too wrapped up in hearing about the other that they didn't stop to pay any attention to anything else.

"So tell me" Amelia inquired. "What type of adventures did you and Lina get up to?"

"Well" Naga explained. "This one time we were hired by this old woman who wanted us to teach her son to become a man."

"And did you?" Phil asked.

"Well……" the raven-haired sorceress said. ".....We kinda had mixed success"

"Oh?"

"Well the plan was to try and teach him some combat skills so it was pre-arranged that we would meet a bunch of actors that were posing as bandits. But when we arrived at the designated place, we found that the actors were captured by a horde of REAL bandits!"

"Oh no!" Amelia said. "What did you do next?"

"Simple!" Naga grinned. "I quickly summoned a stone golem to crush the bandits and they ran away from my might in pure terror!"

"YOU LIAR!!!" Lina yelled. "You fainted at the first sign of blood!"

"Easy Lina!" Gourry said as both he and Zel held the increasingly crabby sorceress back.

"Calm down!" the chimera added, "I doubt the people of Saillune would appreciate their rulers being scorched to death with one of your spells!"

"Look, she may be Gracia Saillune but she is STILL Naga to me!"

"But in any case" Philionel said. "The day that my daughters Amelia and Gracia have both returned to me is certainly a momentous occasion! We must celebrate!"

Lina and Gourry exchanged knowing glances before both smiling in an awkward fashion.

"Well, that is good to hear Phil" the sorceress grinned. "But we can't hang around."

"Yeah" the swordsman added. "We gotta keep moving!"

"Nonsense!" Philionel boomed. "You two are friends of my daughters! That makes you my guests! Therefore I must insist that you stay!"

"Does that mean me as well?" Syl inquired.

"Of course!" the Crown Prince boomed. "And Mr. Greywars as well!"

"Eh…Lina?" Gourry murmured under his breath. "I hope you can think up a good way to get us out of this situation now!"

"And to celebrate this occasion" Phil went on. "I hereby grant you all the privileges of being my guests! You are hereby fee to stay within the guest chambers within Saillune and you have the complete freedom of the city!"

"Freedom?" Lina echoed, her eyebrow raised in interest.

"Yes!" Philionel answered. "You now can go around and treat yourself to the many delights of Saillune! And we will cover all expenses using the palace treasury!"

"Well Gourry?" the now grinning sorceress murmured. "You wanted a way out of this. Is that good enough?"

Amelia raised her hand to her forehead. Once again Daddy was speaking without any thought whatsoever to the consequences of his actions. Giving Lina and Gourry access to the city was bad enough but using the funds of the palace treasury to cover their actions?! This was certainly shaping up to be a true disaster area. One that was just begging to happen!

"What?"

Lina blinked at swordsman's dimwittedness before shrugging and bowing before Phil.

"We most graciously accept your invitation as guests within your city your majesty?"

"Lina!?" Gourry blinked in amazement.

"Just shut up and bow" the sorceress muttered.

It didn't take long for the swordsman to do just that.

"Err….yes, we accept …..your invitation…."

"Now, if you will excuse us" Lina said. "We have some business to attend to."

"We do?" Gourry replied softly.

"Just keep quiet and slowly back out the door" the sorceress snapped under her breath.

"Very well then" Phil grinned. "Just be back at the palace so I can treat you all to the finest dinner of your life!"

Both Lina and Gourry nodded, as Naga and Amelia exchanged the bewildered of glances. The swordsman and the sorceress then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind them. Seconds later, Naga, Zel, Phil, Sylphiel and Amelia all heard the distinct sound of feet running off down the palace hallway.

Sylphiel sighed before moving towards the door.

"Uh, Sylphiel?" Phil inquired. "Where are you going?"

"…I…I…..just remembered something I had to do" The shrine maiden blurted out. Then, without waiting for any follow-up questions, she quickly bowed before darting out the door.

"She seems in an awful rush" Zel murmured.

"True" Phil noted.

"But in any case' he went on. "We have much more important things to discuss right now. To begin with, about this evening…"

"Ah yes" Amelia said. "Daddy, you mentioned to Lina and Gourry that there was going to be a dinner this evening!"

"Yes and?"

"When was such a thing planned?"

"Why just now!" Phil grinned.

Immediately, Amelia, Zel and Naga fell over backwards.

* * *

By now, Lina and Gourry were already out the palace door and making their way into the busy crowds of Saillune. Sylphiel followed closely behind.

"All righty then" the sorceress grinned, as she stretched her arms. "As we guest of Phil, Saillune is our oyster! I say we find the nearest restaurant and order everything! And triple it!"

"Sounds good to me!" Gourry grinned, as he walked beside her, with his sword resting across his shoulder.

Just then, he turned and noticed the shrine maiden.

"Huh?" the swordsman blinked. "Syl? What are you doing here?'

"I'm coming with you to make sure you don't do anything foolish" came the reply.

"What's that?" Lina said. "No you don't! You want to make sure we don't abuse the sanction that Phil has bestowed on us as his guests!"

The shrine maiden sighed. Busted……

"Well don't worry." The sorceress grinned as she laid a hand on Sylphiel's shoulder.

"You have nothing to fear"

"Oh?" Syl replied with a grin. "You mean that you will behave in a sensible manner?"

"Of course not!" Lina and Gourry both answered.

And with that they both turned and strolled away.

The shrine maiden paused for several brief moments before taking off after them.

And when she did, she cleared her throat:

"You know" Sylphiel said in a conversational manner, "It certainly was heart-warming to see Phil reunited with his daughters..."

"Bleagh!" the red-head spluttered. "You can't be serious?!"

"Lina!" Syl exclaimed.

"Hey Gourry?" the sorceress said. "I don't know about you, but I'm eager to sink my teeth in some delicious food. I hear Saillune has a great selection of restaurants...."

"Right behind you, Lina!"

And with that, they both plunged into the busy city streets, both eager to find some food and quick!

"Hey wait!" Sylphiel yelled.

But it was too late: Her companions, acting on their instincts to find a decent meal, wherever and whenever possible, both bolted into the crowd, leaving the Shrine Maiden standing.

She sighed. Try as she might, she just seems unable to catch up with them.

* * *

Some time later that afternoon, Zelgadis strolled through the palace gardens, his mind reflecting on the recent chain of events.

Now that Gracia had returned, Phil couldn't be happier. Such was his pleasure that he immediately proposed a holiday in celebration and began drawing up plans for a banquet. Amelia was also delighted to see her father happier then ever. Naga, however, seemed somewhat perplexed by the whole event. It was as if she hadn't been lauded with that much attention before. But once she was convinced that this banquet would mean lot's of food, she eventually grew accustomed with the enormity of the situation.

But for now, the six adventurers were relishing in delights of Saillune. They were all spending the afternoon with the freedom that Phil had granted them.

Of course, this evening Phil was inviting them all to dinner so he can hear of the adventures and experiences both his daughters have been through.....

But it was only a matter of time before he would find about the horror that befell Amelia back in Dakeyras....

Zel stopped strolling - right in front of a rose bush.

The chimera turned and reached towards the blooms. But instead of touching the red petals, he instead ran his fingers along the stems that the roses resided on.

A normal person wouldn't have dared do such a thing. The stem was covered with nasty thorns! Thorns that were sharp enough to penetrate one's skin and cause fingers to draw blood.

But why should that bother Zel? He had stone skin. He was, after all, a chimera.....

He withdrew his hand and examined it. Yes, it was unharmed. Not even a little scratch.

Just then a voice spoke up, breaking Zelgadis from his thoughts.

"I knew I'd find you here"

The chimera raised an eyebrow. But he didn't turn to face the speaker. He knew who it was.

"Your father seems overjoyed" he said.

"Oh, is he ever!" Amelia chuckled. "He's really enthusiastic about this banquet too: he's running up and down the palace with arrangements, getting the cooks to make a superb meal, making sure the best crockery and silverware is used, and everything! I've never seen him so active like this before!"

"Ah....."

The princess frowned. She could tell what Zel was thinking and she wasn't liking it. She didn't like it when he had his depressive moods.

She wanted him to be happy.....

Amelia reached out and picked one of the blooms from the bush. Then she moved towards the chimera until she was right up next to him.

"Zel?" she said slyly. "Here."

When the chimera noticed the rose, he blinked.

Amelia eyes widened at this. She was expecting him to burst into a bright red flush - as he normally does when confronted with anything romantic. But not this time. Now it was different,.

Had he got the point where he had grown accustomed to her affection.....?

Then the chimera laid his other hand gently on the shoulders of the princess. An act that made Amelia sigh with pure bliss.

She looked up at Zelgadis' expression - to see that he looked somewhat unhappy. Instead of looking at her, he gazed at the rose, his mind deep in contemplation.

"Zel....?" she asked.

When no response came, the princess frowned. She knew that when the chimera started acting like this, something was troubling him greatly.

"Zelgadis!" she exclaimed. "Is something the matter?"

The chimera didn't answer right away. Instead, he eyes narrowed as he figured how he should explain this to her…..

"Your father" he said at last. "Your father seems quite eager to have you follow in his footsteps and ascend to the rulership of Saillune."

Amelia blinked but she didn't reply.

Zel immediately locked his gaze into hers. "And I'm certain that this isn't the first time that such intentions had been brought up."

Upon hearing this, the princess frowned. Her eyes also grew darker as the enormity of this discussion sank in.

"I've never really liked discussing such thing" she murmured.

The chimera blinked. "Why's that?"

"Who on earth want's to become a princess?"

"What?!" Zelgadis exclaimed. He was so taken aback by this revelation that he lowered his arm.

"Amelia! Being a princess is a goal that most girls dream of!"

"But it's not all living rich and looking gorgeous." she retorted. "The truth is it's a boring life! All you do is have banquets, talk to uninteresting dignitaries, fill out documents and negotiate between neighbouring nations to settle conflicts! There's not a moment of excitement at any time!"

"So that's why you seem so keen to hang around Lina, Gourry and myself right?" the chimera replied as he ran his finger across the thorns on the rose stem.

The princess blinked.

"Well….yes." she said slowly. "You're always going to such amazing places!"

Amelia's speech may have been slow to begin with but it was gradually gathering speed as she went on: "You get to have adventures! You get to see the world and you get to face all types of excitement!"

"The type you haven't seen from the boundaries of Saillune's walls" Zel finished.

"Exactly" the princess sighed.

The chimera turned to his left, away from Amelia, and raised the rose up to his face. His finger than began to stroke the smooth red petals.

"So that's what you want to do?" he said gently. "Instead of succeeding your father?"

"Of course!" the princess replied her voice rich in enthusiasm.

Zelgadis didn't reply. Instead he closed his eyes and allowed his lips to form into a small smile.

"If that's your choice than who am I stand in your way?"

Amelia sighed. "Thank you ever so much for that Zelgadis

"However…."

Upon hearing this, Zel's finger came to a standstill upon the petal.

"I'm not sure how Daddy will take these plans."

Zelgadis opened his mouth to speak but Amelia went on:

"He seemed quite determined that I ascend to the throne. And that I find a ruling partner."

And when Zel heard this, his eyes immediately shot open. He then turned so that his back was to Amelia.

The princess frowned. This move was unexpected but she could tell what was on his mind….

She then stepped forward and laid her hand gently on his back. Her face followed seconds later.

The princess could feel the Chimera's muscles relax. She smiled - even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell that he was appreciating her affectionate gesture.

"We are both alike in so many ways" Amelia said gently. "We would both rather travel and see the world than anything else"

Although the princess couldn't see it, Zel was listening intently as his finger once again stroked the thorns on the rose stem.

Suddenly, the princess faltered. Words suddenly tumbled from her mouth without any consideration whatsoever.

"Please let's stay together" she said "Let's try and forget what happened at Da…"

"NO!"

Amelia blinked at this sudden outburst. She looked at the chimera, with eyes widened, as her hand felt his muscles tighten.

"Zel….?"

The chimera didn't answer. Instead stepped away from Amelia's touch and walked away, dropping the bloom as he did so.

Needless to say, the princess was quite upset by this. Here she was, trying to make Zel feel better and all he did was knock her back! Why would he do a thing like this?

She mentally cursed herself: She shouldn't have gone and mentioned Dakeyras….

Maybe she should try a different tack.....

Then, she hit upon a marvellous idea.

Amelia then set out off after the chimera and grasped him gently on his wrist.

"Zel" she smiled warmly. "I wanna show you something"

But the chimera didn't respond with as much enthusiasm. He merely sighed.

"Come on!" she said. "It's this really cool place in the city...."

"Amelia, I....."

"Don't be like that!" the princess exclaimed. "Just come with me and see this surprise!"

Zel sighed again, before eventually relenting.

* * *

But even though Lina and her companions survived that scuffle at the mine and now relished in the comforts that Saillune offered, little did they know that a new adventure was beginning. An adventure that was waiting for their involvement. An adventure that will challenge the world they knew and the ideals that they all lived by.

Did they really think that an exploding mountain would go unnoticed?

Of course not. Being faced with such an incredible, destructive power, the forest shook and the ground rumbled, creating shock waves for miles around.

Naturally, such waves created horrendous vibrations that rumbled through any villages and townships that happened to stand in the way. However whilst the inhabitants of these built-up areas, felt the shock waves, they were soon to dismiss this unusual event as a natural occurrence.

But whilst these simpletons were oblivious to the truth, there was, however, someone who knew better.

And he knew better because he had witnessed the entire event himself.

In amongst a nearby mountain range, there was an unusual formation: It was a flat-topped mountain which, at the top, housed an unusual grassy circle. A circle which was home to various stone monoliths, of uneven size, which were all arranged in a circular fashion.

And it was in amongst this circle that stood someone who witnessed the explosion himself.

Someone whom was tall and slender in stature yet as strong as an ox. Someone suited in dark armour that was heavy in design but light in appearance and bedecked with intricate skull designs. Someone with a face that showed signs of intelligence mixed with pure malevolence and whose appearance was complemented with a heavy red cloak and long black hair.

That someone was Thyruss. And it was from this vantage point that he saw the explosion in all it's glory.

And he wasn't liking what he was seeing.

He had only come to Saillune recently, It was for the first time in a long time but Thyruss had a plan. A plan that involved him satisfying a burning desire for revenge.

But this recent occurrence has left him furious. The mine that got destroyed was part of his operation! It was supplying him with funds to see his insidious operation through to success!

However, in spite of his rage, Thyruss couldn't ignore the fact that the collapse of his gold mine had taken him by surprise. He had hired the meanest and the burliest lackeys he could find to work in that mine. And the overseers were even meaner still. Thus, it would have to take someone of exceptional prowess to overcome them all and destroy the mine itself.

But to destroy a _mountain_?! The warlord hadn't seen anything like this before. Thus, whoever had destroyed the mine was certainly someone of extraordinary power. And chances are they would be a potentially nasty obstacle to overcome in the name of revenge…..

But Thyruss' gaze hardened. Revenge never comes without any cost - so as long as he achieves this goal, the lengths he had to go through, and the setbacks that he endured,  would make it all worth it!

The warlord sighed before reflecting on the events that had taken place since he returned to Saillune…..

It had been days since he, for the first time in years, laid eyes on Saillune. Seeing such a sight, after so long, indeed took him by surprise - yet it only strengthened his resolve to achieve his desire for revenge. But before anything could go ahead, he first had to establish a base camp some miles away from the city.

It was there and then that his first stroke of incredible luck happened.

He had managed to find an abandoned citadel. Such a discovery certainly had its benefits: The citadel was located in amongst a steep mountain range, thus providing a great position of secrecy and natural defences. It also provided the warlord with a spectacular view of the surrounding lands, enabling him with a magnificent vantage point to plot his plans of destruction.

But, more importantly, it was big enough to house himself, his minions and, most crucial of all, his secret weapon.....

Once this fortunate discovery had been made, Thyruss immediately set his minions to work. They were to make repairs to this citadel and to turn it from a forgotten relic into a full military headquarters.

And as the repairs and reconstruction went on, the warlord went exploring.

It was then that his second stroke of incredible luck happened.

He was fortunate enough to find this circle. Of course, when he first set eyes on it, he was convinced this was an illusion: A formation such is this could be anything but natural. A grassy plain like this in amongst such a mountainous range? Such stones arranged in such a particular formation? And why on earth would those stones bear signs of being untouched....?

Curiosity drove the warlord into the circle. It was then that he began to feel uneasy. Something didn't feel right....

Regardless, Thyruss examined the stones closer. But such a sight was nothing like he had encountered before. The stone were of some black substance - such as that which he had never seen before in his lifetime....

Indeed, now the warlord had all the more reason to feel uneasy.....

Thyruss tried to ignore this uneasiness. But even as he tried, deep down in the bowels of his stomach, he knew what he was doing was wrong. It felt, as if, he was intruding in on an artefact from a long - forgotten era. It was as if he was invading a holy place from a long-dead civilisation.....

He tried to shake it off such sensations as nonsense. But even as he stayed on within the circle, Thyruss could still feel something eating away at his conscience......

Eventually, he gave in. This place was creepy. He had to get out. Now.

But as he turned to leave the circle, his eye caught sight of something peculiar. Something that took the form of words carved into the rock itself. Something that immediately grabbed the warlord's attention. He knelt down and began to study this discovery.....

As Thyruss read these words, his lips formed into a twisted grin. A tsunami of courage and triumph flushed through his system. He stood up, feeling triumphant.

With these words victory now seemed within his grasp.

So much so, he can now taste it.....

And then he would extract the sweetest of revenge.....

* * *

Onto Chapter 3!  
Contents  



	4. 3 Companions

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Chapter 3  
Companions! - Tempting fate? Or prolonging destiny?

* * *

Zel blinked at Amelia's "surprise".

It was a small shop that was quaint in appearance yet located in a obscure part of Saillune - This store was situated at the bottom end of a whole row of buildings, at the end of a lane, that drew away from the main street. Therefore it was impossible for the store to be seen by anyone travelling through the busy roads that made up Saillune.

In the terms of appearance, the building itself wasn't anything spectacular. It consisted of one floor, it had a roof made up of tiles of faded red, it's walls were a soft cream colour and all was accompanied by a brown porch. Facing the chimera was a heavy oak door flanked on either side by a pair of windows with dark green shutters.   
The windows revealed nothing about the store's interior: They only showed a mass of black, - it was as if the windows were unwilling to reveal any of the inside secrets that the store may be holding. The porch was also bordered with thin pillars and also held home to a bunch of pot plants that were situated underneath the windows.

The chimera cast a glance at the princess, who grinned with delight.

"It's still here!" she grinned. "Even when I've been away for so long!"

"What is this place,Amelia?"

"This is a really cool place I found when I was little!"

"Hrmmm...." Zel replied, his voice rich in indifference.

"Come on!" Amelia said eagerly. "I have to show you this place! I've been going here for years!"

And before he could protest, the princess grabbed the chimera by his hand and pulled him into the store.

But nothing could prepare Zel for what greeted him in the shop itself.

There was little lighting within the store but there was enough to reveal to Zel what the shop was selling - and enough to make Zelgadis' eyebrow rise.

The first thing the chimera noticed was the scent of wood that came blasting through his nostrils like a hurricane. Immediately, it struck Zel that this place was the home of a craftsman of some kind.

And it didn't take him long to see what kind of craft this was.

The second thing Zel realised, was that he was surrounded. All around he could see faces. Faces of dragons, mazoku, trolls and humans alike. Faces that leered from alcoves built into the wall. Faces that grinned from the various shelves that ran up and down the store's floor. Faces that also hung from the ceiling to peer down at the chimera.

The chimera grit his teeth - what was this place?! Has Amelia pulled him into some kind of Hell?!?!

But the princess didn't seem too bothered by this audience of twisted grins. Instead she advanced into the store, her eyes widened with wonder and her mouth moulded into one of pure delight.

However, it didn't take long for Zelgadis to come to realisation as to where she had taken him: This place was the home of a puppet-maker.

Now that the chimera was convinced he wasn't in some kind of danger, he blinked at the place he had stepped into. Indeed, this was definitely a world apart from Saillune. Intrigued, he stepped closer to examine some the items on sale.

And what he saw took his breath away.

These puppet's were carved out of wood but they had been done so in an extraordinary manner. They had been carved with such skill and such precision that the talent involved defied belief. They were so detailed and so life like.....

Indeed, Zel couldn't believe what he was seeing. What was this place? Was this another world?

He had never seen puppets crafted in such an astounding way. What kind of talent would produce such an intricate construct?

But there was something about the intricate design that disturbed him. The level of effort involved was extraordinary to behold and the genius behind it was truly a master of their craft.

However this level of craftsmanship couldn't the feeling that Zelgadis had.

A feeling of being watched……..

His inquisitive eyes then fell on a finely craved dragon. A dragon which was fashioned into a sleeping position with it's head resting on it's front claws.....

.....a dragon which then opened it's eyes and raised it's head to meet Zelgadis' gaze.

The chimera blinked and shook his head in disbelief. Did he just see what he thought he just saw?

He looked at the dragon again - only to see that it had returned to its sleeping position.

Zel's mind got swept up in a whirlwind, taken completely aback by what he had just seen. What was going on here? This place was certainly a world apart from the rest of Saillune. And such a place must hold it's own fair share of secrets. And suddenly, the craftsmanship of these puppets seemed no longer extraordinary but suspicious.

Something very wrong is going on here.....

Just then, a booming voice brought the chimera back to earth.

"Your highness!" came the voice. "It's been a while since I saw your face!"

"Oh please Konstantin" answered Amelia's voice. "Please call me Amelia"

The chimera looked up to see Amelia at the other end of the store talking to a man who stood behind the counter. But this man was nothing like Zel had seen before. He was a giant, literally bursting all over with an incredibly muscular structure. This man had arms like tree trunks and a chest that was barely covered by the shirt the man wore. The man also had a shaved head and chin accompanied by a kindly face.

Zelgadis' eyes widened at the sight of this newcomer. He had seen bandits of the muscular kind before but they paled in comparison to this giant. And now, Zel had ever the more reason to be suspicious of this place - It seems everything within this store has defied any concept of the logic he had come to be known of this place.

But then again, he's been through weirder experiences....

Just then, Amelia and the giant strode over to the chimera. Zel, instinctively, tried to hide within the many shadows that filled the store. He doesn't want to be pried upon by invading glares. He doesn't want to be regarded as a freak.....

....But to no avail. Because, as long as Amelia is around, Zel has no chance hiding his chimera curse from the rest of the world!

"Zelgadis?" Amelia said. "May I introduce Konstantin. He's been the carver of these puppets and the owner of this store for years."

The giant whom was named Konstantin reached out a huge open paw in Zelgadis' direction - all accompanied with a with warm grin.

"Pleased to meet you Zelgadis" the giant greeted in a friendly manner.

Zel raised an eyebrow. Odd - whilst the full extent of the chimera curse is full light, this guy seems unperturbed by such a fact. In fact, he seems more eager to establish a friendship.

A feeling of warmth radiated through Zelgadis' heart. Realising that this degree of acceptance was as good as any other, he grasped the giant's hand and returned the handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine" Zel grinned.

"I hear you're a friend of the princess." Konstantin said. "Any friend of Amelia is a friend of mine!"

The chimera chuckled softly but uttered no further reply.

"My, my" the giant said, gazing at Zel with a curious eye. "You certainly look different. I haven't seen anything like you before. How did you manage to meet the princess?"

"We have been both travelling together for so many months" Amelia said quickly. "We met each other during our travels. It just happens that Zelgadis has been inflicted with a chimera curse so I've been helping him find a cure."

"I see" Konstantin said. "A chimera curse eh?"

"Yeah" Amelia added in a conversational manner. "One that makes him one third demon and one third stone golem as well as one third human"

As Amelia was delivering this explanation, Zel shot her with an accusing glare. What the hell was she thinking in giving away all that?! It wasn't bad enough that he had to suffer this curse from dawn to dusk, day after day, but having the whole world know about it - particularly to people whom he had just met - was another matter entirely!

But even as Amelia delivered her explanation, the craftsman listened with keen interest. As the story progressed, his eyes grew wider and his expression grew all the more fascinated.

"Well, Zelgadis" he grinned. "You certainly are an intriguing character. I have seen many amazing sights in my time but I haven't seen an amalgam of human, demon and chimera! I would be interested in hearing more about your story...."

Suddenly the triggers of alarm ignited in the chimera. Alarm that was enough to drive him onward into action without a second thought.

The chimera reached out a hand and grabbed the princess by her arm and pulled her closer towards him.

"Zel?!" Amelia protested.

Zelgadis didn't pay attention to the princess. Instead he turned to address to Konstantin.

"We have to go now" the chimera said. "Excuse us"

And before Amelia could argue, Zel began to bustle her out of the store, leaving the puppet-maker blinking in astonishment.

* * *

Elsewhere, Lina and Gourry were soaking up the pleasures of Saillune – Provided that the pleasures in question involved sitting in a tavern.

With one's feet on the table.

And the afore-mentioned table is currently housing a whole bunch of dirty dishes.

"Luuuuuurrrrrrrvvvvverrrrrrrrly!" Lina grinned. "It's been a while since I had the opportunity to stretch my legs!"

"And the food is an added bonus?" Gourry replied

"Absolutely!" the sorceress grinned.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Well" Lina mused. "We just plunder every restaurant and tavern we find in this city! And we'll be able to get away with it easily!"

"But what about the dinner that Philionel said he had planned for us all?" the swordsman inquired.

"Well then" the sorceress replied. "We simply accept it, of course!"

"But…."

"What's bothering you?" Lina interjected, her mouth now formed into a frown. "Considering we're under Phil's sanction, we can have all the free food we want! The banquet that he has planned is an added bonus!"

She fixed Gourry with a crafty gaze and a malevolent grin. "We're living on easy street here! You don't want to complain about that now, right?"

The swordsman blinked before nodding his consent.

"Sounds good to me!"

And with that, he grabbed a roasted chicken and tore off a leg. Lina, meanwhile, began working on a seafood dish.

Gourry took a several bites out of his chicken leg, before pausing.

He suddenly remembered something…..

"Hey Lina?" he asked. "Where's Sylphiel?"

Lina looked up for a handful of seconds before shrugging.

"Ah" she said. "Chances are, she's still behind us. Knowing her, it won't take long before she catches up to us."

"You don't suppose she got lost?" the swordsman replied. "Saillune is a very big place"

"Gourry, just relax" Lina reasoned. "I have faith in Sylphiel – And I'm certain that she will turn up sooner or later"

"You don't suppose we should go look for her?" the swordsman said urgently.

He was already on his feet and was prepared to go look for Syl…..

…when he noticed the sorceress' current expression. Although her mouth was behind a piece of cod and thus hidden from view, her eyes were glaring at him. It was a glare that glowed with the fury of impatience.

Gourry had seen this type of glare before. And he should know what could certainly happen next – if he made the wrong decision.

When it came down to Lina Inverse, it was either her way or no way.

He grinned sheepishly and sat back down.

"I suppose you're right Lina" he blurted out.

Immediately, all fury vanished from the redhead's eyes. She silently nodded before resuming eating.

The swordsman paused before returning to his chicken wing.

A brief moment of silence passed before Gourry cleared his throat.

"Where do you suppose Naga is?" he asked.

"No doubt she would still be at the palace." Lina replied.

_The further away from me, the better_ she thought

"And where do you suppose Amelia and Zel have disappeared to?" Gourry added.

Lina paused, as she chewed on a piece of cod. Eventually she gave the swordsman a facial expression that was twisted with the evillest of grins.

"I suppose they have their own _private_ matters to deal with."

Gourry blinked in a vacant fashion.

The sorceress noticed this but continued on:

"I bet Zel is being _consoled_ by Amelia…."

"….hrmmm…."

Lina blinked at Gourry's obliviousness but she carried on undaunted:

"…. …And she is doing it via _her own_ methods….."

"……….right……"

"…………in _her bedroom_…."

"……………..Why would Zel want to go to a girl's room?"

The sorceress slowly raised her hand to her forehead and paused. Her fingers slowly massaged her flesh and thus eased her out of trying to pick up the dinner table and smashing it over Gourry's head.

But that would've been a good waste of food anyway.

Still, she couldn't believe how blank he was when receiving this suggestive wordplay.

Might as well take the direct approach then.

"Gee, I wonder if Zel really is rock _all over_…"

This time, it didn't take Gourry long to catch onto what the sorceress was thinking.

"Lina!" he exclaimed. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?!"

The sorceress smiled a mischievous smile.

"Oh come now, Gourry" she chuckled. "I was only kidding"

Who knows where those two are?' she continued. "I bet whatever they're up to it's with each other."

She paused – to notice a slight blush make it's way across the swordsman's face.

"No wait…..forget I said that…." She added.

But Lina wasn't going to remain within an exasperated frame of mind:

"Lets talk about something else okay?" she said.

"Geez Lina" Gourry murmured. "Since when did you become so dirty minded?!"

"I SAID" the red-head growled through clenched teeth. "Let's talk about something ELSE"

Having travelled with Lina for so long, the swordsman certainly recognised this mood. Thus, he wisely opted to close his mouth. Instead, he returned to his chicken leg.

Lina grabbed her cod from its dish and took a bite out of it. She chewed on it for a brief moment whilst waiting for the conversation to resume.

"So" Gourry said. "What did you think of Phil appointing Amelia as his successor?"

The sorceress looked up and fixed him with a quizzical gaze. This line of conversation was certainly unexpected.

"Knowing Amelia, she isn't one for royal life" she said. "When he told her, I noticed that she didn't look too happy."

Gourry nodded in agreement.

"Well in that case" he asked. "Do you think she might accept it?"

"Of course not!" the redhead grinned. "Amelia would rather live a life of adventure than royalty!"

"Would you?" the swordsman countered.

Lina blinked.

Gourry went on: "Spending the rest of your days in a huge place with lots of money and hundreds of servants sounds like a pretty good deal to me!"

The sorceress' gaze hardened but she remained silent.

Unperturbed the swordsman went on:

"What worries me is that what if she accepts the position? She may not want to be seen with us."

"That's nonsense!" the redhead snapped. "Why wouldn't she want to be with us?! We're her friends! We've been through so much!"

"We're wanted criminals Lina!" Gourry shot back.

Upon hearing this, the sorceress went silent – thus allowing the swordsman a free reign to continue:

"We have prices on our heads! Every bounty hunter from here to Sairaag would give anything to have us killed!"

"And being a long time associate with a member of royalty could result in problems?" Lina replied softly.

Gourry nodded.

The sorceress paused as she thought this revelation through. Whilst the friendship with Amelia goes back a long way, the fact that she is in line to the position of rulership of Saillune could result in problems. For one thing, the fact that Amelia has spent a lot of her teen years in such infamous company could challenge the legitimacy to her heirship.

Of course there was the chance that Amelia could use her powers of command to secure a pardon for any past transgressions. However, once it becomes public knowledge that Amelia has such previous, and indeed questionable, relations with the infamous Lina Inverse, this in turn sets herself up as a target of revenge from all the villains that have previously clashed with Lina and Gourry.

The redhead looked up at the swordsman who patiently waited for her resolution. Determined to save face, Lina quickly adopted a smile:

"I wouldn't worry about it Gourry!" she beamed. "Amelia isn't the type to neglect her friends! And I severely doubt she will give up her adventurous life with us in favour of rulership over Saillune!"

The swordsman blinked before nodding. He returned to his chicken while Lina resumed consuming her seafood.

But deep down, she really had no idea how to overcome such a prospect……

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Saillune, Sylphiel wandered through the streets in a state of utter confusion.

She was completely lost. Lina and Gourry had both hurried off into the busy depths of Saillune. And they had left without leaving any trace to pick up on.

Of course, this left Syl all by herself. She had no idea where her friends had gone to and, as a consequence, she had got swept up in the crowds that made up the populace of Saillune. It was no use returning to the palace: Phil was busy with his plans for the evening and Zel and Amelia could be anywhere.

And if that is the case then they are better off left alone.....

Nevertheless, her desperation to not be alone drove her onward. Drove her on to search for Lina and Gourry, wherever they might be.

But the problem was she had no idea where they might be. Knowing what Lina's like, she would already be going from one restaurant to the other in quick succession.

So, the only thing that Syl could do was try her luck.....

Her eyes caught sight of a nearby tavern. This seemed like the best starting point to commence her search.....

The shrine maiden stepped into the tavern....

.....only to be confronted with a scene of smoke and inquisitive faces. Face that were battle-scarred, cruel, and weren't expecting a shrine maiden to show up.

Alas for Sylphiel, this place was a warrior's tavern. And not the place for the gentle types such as herself.

"Err...." Syl blurted out with. "Wrong door...."

But before she could utter another word, a pair of great hands descended upon her and grasped her cruelly by the front of her tunic.

The startled Shrine Maiden started at the man who grabbed her. He was a muscular type with a bushy orange beard, orange spiked hair and a truly unfriendly expression.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" the bearded man snarled. "We've never seen a woman 'round here before!"

A man with a bald head cleared his throat. "Maybe she's one of them warrior wimmin, Egil!"

"Nah!" spoke up a third man - this one had a face that was scarred beyond belief. He also had an unshaven chin and a eye-patch. "I don't think so Sven. She doesn't look like a warrior ta me!"

"Please!" Syl exclaimed in desperation. "Please let me go!"

Just then the bearded man named Egil let out a laugh. "Begging for you life eh?" he boomed. "Don't worry, we'll let you go - once you've given us some entertainment!"

"Yes!" sneered the bald man named Sven. "I wouldn't mind some fun myself - Right Olaf?"

"Exactly!" said the scarred man named Olaf. "I've always loved the frail looking wimmin!"

"No!" Sylphiel shrieked, with tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Oh whattsa matta?" Egil mocked. "Crying won't save you now!"

In desperation and in dread of the horror that was looming, Sylphiel closed her eyes.

But why should she be bothered? She's been in worse situations such as this.

Because back then she had the reliance of a knight in shining armour.....

But where was he now? He had gone from her grasp for good - And she accepted it! Consequently, such a move has left her defenceless in the current situation.

"Gourry....." she whispered, as cruel laughter from her attackers rung throughout her eardrums.

Suddenly, in amongst the laughter, a cool, commanding voice snuck in through:

"Put her down."

Immediately, the laughter in the tavern came to a standstill. All eyes turned away from Syl and towards a man standing in the doorway of the tavern.

Surprised, the Shrine Maiden opened her eyes and joined all the astonished gazes that travelled to the interloper.

He was a handsome man with a well-trimmed goatee and with a close-clipped haircut, along with a bronze breastplate with black leggings, a black shirt, and a distinctive red sash. His facial expression was also moulded into one of disgust.

This newcomer fixed Egil with a hard gaze.

"You heard me" he snarled. "What are you waiting for?"

"You wait your turn!" Olaf bellowed.

"And mind your own business!" Sven added

"Well I'm making it my business!" the newcomer snarled.

"Tough guy eh?" Egil thundered. "You're on!"

And with that, he shoved Syl aside onto the floor and drew his sword. And then he began lumbering towards the newcomer with a cruel glare.

But the newcomer didn't look too worried. Instead, he drew his own sword in a calm manner.

"So you think you're some hot shot eh?" Egil said. "You won't live to regret the day you set foot in here!"

And with that he charged, with his blade held high.

"Yeah, whatever" his opponent said.

And as the bearded man, charged, the newcomer bowed his head forward. The bearded man laughed sensing an easy victory.....

...until the newcomer's sword plunged it's way right through his chest!

The bearded man gasped with astonishment before toppling forward, Egil hit the floor with a tremendous crash as the newcomer quickly dodged out of the way.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a dagger came flying through the air and into the swordsman's shoulder! With a roar of pain, the newcomer went backwards into the wall. Suddenly, Sven and Olaf both charged at the swordsman. They grinned, ready to deliver vengeance for their fallen comrade.

But the newcomer had no intentions of losing this fight! Despite the pain that was cruising through his body, he pulled out the dagger out of his shoulder and threw it back! The dagger caught Sven right between the eyes and penetrated it's way into his brain. The man died with a gargling scream.

This left Olaf in a position where panic was greater then the importance of extracting vengeance. Acting on pure fear, the man turned tail and fled! But the swordsman wasn't finished with him yet! Grabbing the now discarded sword from the bearded man's cold fingers, the swordsman threw the sword with all his might....

....only to catch Olaf as he fled. The sword went right through the man bringing his flight, and his life, to a grinding halt.

Satisfied that this battle was won, the swordsman summoned all his remaining strength to get to his feet and approach Sylphiel. No one else in the tavern dared challenge him.

The wounded swordsman knelt down beside the prostrate shrine maiden.

"All you all right?" he asked gently.

Syl looked up at her rescuer with astonished eyes. But eventually she nodded.

"Come on" the swordsman said reaching out his hand. "This is no place for you"

Using his last reserves of his strength, the swordsman helped the shrine maiden to her feet and to the door of the tavern.

Once outside, Syl turned to her rescuer. It was then she noticed his injured shoulder.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "You're wounded!"

"...It's... nothing" came the reply.

"No it's not!" Sylphiel argued. And with that, she began casting a healing spell.

The swordsman blinked as the shrine maiden worked her healing magic onto his shoulder. Immediately, the wound healed up completely.

"Thank you" the swordsman said.

"Oh no" Sylphiel smiled. "It should be me thanking you for helping me back there."

"Hey, it was the least I could do" the swordsman said awkwardly. "I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty face"

The shrine maiden laughed out loud before reaching out her hand in a friendly gesture. "I'm Sylphiel"

The swordsman reached out his hand and returned the handshake.

"...Aldebrand"

* * *

"Why did you have to be so rude?"

"You shouldn't have told him you know"

"Sorry?"

"Why did you go and tell that man about my cursed form?"

Elsewhere in Saillune, Amelia and Zelgadis were busy making their way through the many crowds and the busy streets that made up Saillune.

But no amount of noise from the populace could conceal any form of argument, big or small.

"Come on Zel!" Amelia said. "I've known Konstantin for years! He's a nice man!"

"Nice enough to be trusted with the knowledge of befriending a chimera?" Zel retorted.

"Now that's ENOUGH!" Amelia shouted, sternly.

Indeed, such was the force of the princess' words that Zel stopped dead in his tracks. His eyebrow rose upwards at the princess' outburst.

Amelia, bearing an expression of anger, walked around front to face the chimera.

"What's gotten into you Zelgadis?" she demanded. "You've changed!"

"It's .....nothing"

But if Zel thought that was going to stop Amelia, he was wrong:

"No, it IS something!" she yelled. "You have grown more distant over the past few days! This isn't like you at all! First you try to murder that bandit, then you knock me back in the palace gardena and now you refuse to associate with a long-term friend of mine just because he comments on your skin!"

As the princess paused to get her breath back, Zel said nothing. His face was as hard as ever and his eyes showed little emotion.

When Amelia saw Zelgadis' facial expression, her wrath subsided. Her voice grew softer and more gentle and her eyes went from angry to sympathetic.

"It is because of your skin, isn't it? It's all because of what happened in Dakeyras, right?"

Zel sighed heavily and nodded.

Amelia blinked, as memories flooded into her head. Memories of being a chimera herself. Memories of bearing the hardships of being perceived as a freak. Memories of experiencing, first hand, the frustration that had constantly dogged Zel's mind for many years.

"Zelgadis" she said slowly. "I know the pain.

"Sure you have had your chimera curse longer then mine, but in that time, I....."

"No you don't know!" Zel interrupted.

Amelia blinked in shock as the chimera continued.

"You don't know what it's like to live every day in torture! You don't know what's like to wake up every morning to continue on a journey to nowhere! You don't know what it's like living a life where you treated no better then scum!"

"But I do know that I should live a life that is not controlled by bitterness!" Amelia shot back, quickly.

Upon hearing this, the chimera fell silent.

The princess then moved her face closer to Zel and continued:

"I can understand your frustration" she whispered. "But you shouldn't let your rage cloud your perceptions. In the end what matters is not the skin but the heart that beats underneath.

"I know you're a good person Zelgadis. A good person with a noble heart and kind intentions. But nobody can see such goodness when you allow yourself to be blinded by your rage

"If anything, I believe you can do it"

Zel blinked at the princess' wise words. Eventually he smiled a small smile.

Satisfied with his response, Amelia reached down and grabbed his hand.

"Come on" she grinned. "Let's get back to the palace. I bet Daddy has already got that banquet together!"

* * *

As the afternoon grew older, Lina and Gourry continued on their quest to experience every restaurant in Saillune. By now, they had entered a restaurant which specialised in a unique brand of food.

The type that Gourry hadn't seen, or indeed heard of, before.

"La- Sag – Knee?!" he said as he looked through the menu. His brow furrowed with concentration and his expression was one of absolute confusion.

"It's lasagne!" Lina answered. "It's kind of like pasta!"

"Huh?"

"Oh come on, you would've heard of pasta before!" the redhead exclaimed.

"I have?" the swordsman replied in diminutive fashion.

"You know" the sorceress said in exasperation. "It's like spaghetti – you should've heard of _that_ right?!"

Gourry paused for a moment to think this through.

Eventually, he came to the conclusion of:

"No, not at all!"

Lina sighed. She should've guessed. Nevertheless, she gave the waiter her order.

As they waited for their meal to arrive, Gourry cleared his throat.

"So what did you order?" he asked.

"I ordered some tortellini!' she grinned. 

"Tore –a whatta?" he replied, his face moulded into his familiar expression of confusion.

"Ah never mind."

Suddenly, the swordsman was hit by a sudden thought.

"Hey wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "I didn't give the waiter _my_ order!"

"Don't worry Gourry" Lina reasoned. "I ordered your meal for you!"

"What?!"

"Well, seeing you seemed so fascinated by the lasagne, I ordered it for you!"

Gourry blinked at the sniggering sorceress.

"Well look at this way" she went on. "At least this way, you will find out whether or not you like it!"

The swordsman sighed and raised his elbow onto the table - so his hand could nurse his head.

The redhead chuckled and leant back in her chair.

A moment of silence passed between the two, before Lina's eyes grew irritated.

"Man, that food is taking its sweet time getting here!"

Gourry blinked.

"It should be on its way" he reasoned. "Come on, you need something to take your mind off it"

Lina fixed him with an irritated gaze but said nothing.

"Lets talk about something else!" the swordsman went on.

 "Like what?" the sorceress replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Have you any bright ideas?"

"Well I was thinking…." Gourry began

"Really?" she cut in, her sarcasm stronger than before.

Regardless, the swordsman continued:

"…about what we discussed earlier."

Upon hearing this, Lina raised an eyebrow.

"You know, about Amelia being in command of Saillune"

"…..Yeah?"

"If that should happen, what do you think Zelgadis might do?"

The sorceress didn't reply straight away. Instead, she leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. She clasped them together whilst fixing Gourry with a quizzical gaze.

"That's a very good question." She said at last. "Knowing Zel, he won't let _anything_ get in his way of him finding his cure."

"Not even Amelia?" the swordsman answered.

And with these words, a grim silence hung between the two.

"You know" Lina said at last. "I think that Amelia must be envious of Zel."

"Yeah?" Gourry blinked. "How?"

"Well, as I see it, Zelgadis is being driven by his goal to find a cure for his curse. Therefore, he lives a life where he sees the world and finds adventure.

"Furthermore, considering that Amelia has been born to a royal family and been trained to succeed Phil, she hasn't had quite an exciting lifestyle."

"And Zelgadis' life is one that Amelia wants?" Gourry finished.

Lina nodded.

"It seems that living a life of royalty is certainly not a destiny that's fit for Amelia" she sighed.

Suddenly, the swordsman grinned a broad grin and slammed his fist down onto his open palm.

"Well in that case, she should tell Phil exactly how she feels!" he proclaimed. "Then she will be free do what she wants!"

Lina slapped her forehead in disbelief.

"It's not that so simple Gourry" she groaned. "Being in line for succession isn't something you can get out of that easily."

"But anyway, do you think that she will accept the throne?"

"It's possible" the sorceress replied. "But I doubt it"

But before the swordsman could issue another statement from his mouth, the waiter arrived with the food. Now, all thoughts of conversation had been replaced with thoughts of eating! Lina promptly tore into her tortellini whilst Gourry pondered on the new experience that was lasagne. After prodding it with his fork, he eventually used this utensil to tear off a chunk. He then directed this piece of lasagne into his mouth where he chewed on it.

And then, a smile of satisfaction grew across his mouth.

"Mmmmm!" he beamed. "This is good stuff!"

"Well it was just as well" Lina replied. "Because I would've fire-balled you if you didn't like it!"

"What?!?"

"Ha!" the sorceress chuckled. "I was just kidding!"

Gourry blinked. Then, he let out a sigh - before resuming his meal.

A moments silence passed between the two – well, maybe not if you count the noises of food being consumed as creating noise – before Gourry cleared his throat.

"Do you think you might be a princess one day?"

When she heard this, Lina looked at him for a while before shaking head.

"No way!" she said firmly. "There's no way I would want to spend the rest of my life cooped in a castle! To hell with that!"

"You seemed quite eager for that lifestyle when we first met Zel" Gourry countered.

The sorceress blinked before breaking into a smile.

"Gourry, that was kids talk!" she said. "Besides, I would rather travel the world and try so many wonderful delicacies!"

"Until when?"

This question was so unexpected, it sent Lina off guard.

"Well….until the day I die I suppose…….." She said slowly.

"But at the rate I'm going" she quickly followed. "I've quite a way to go yet!"

The swordsman blinked.

"So, you think you'll keep on adventuring even when you're an old lady?"

Upon hearing this, Lina was astonished – so much so, she dropped her utensils.

"Oh I can see it now!" Gourry said in a playful tone of voice. "An old woman with a broken back, grey hair and saggy breasts chanting out the Dragon Slave spell but forgetting the lines half way through!"

The sorceress didn't reply. Instead, she slammed her fist down on the table. And she fixed the swordsman with a sinister glare – the type that blazed with murderous intention.

When the swordsman saw this, his grin quickly vanished. And he resumed his meal in utter silence.

Lina picked up her utensils and resumed eating her tortellini – without saying a word.

But deep down, she knew that Gourry had a point. There was really no telling how long can her adventurous life can keep on going.

Nor exactly what to do when this exciting lifestyle comes to it's inevitable conclusion.

And it was that thought that chilled Lina Inverse's soul……

* * *

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you taking me around this city?"

"You…you saved my life! The least I could do is repay you"

Aldebrand has been taken from one end one end of the city to the other with Sylphiel. She was quite grateful to her rescuer and seemed eager to spend some time together.

However, in all honesty, the mercenary seemed quite abashed by the Shrine Maidens courteous manner.

"But….but this isn't necessary…."

"What?" Syl blinked.

"What happened in that tavern" Aldebrand said. "Was just me doing what anyone else would do."

"No, it's not like that!" Sylphiel exclaimed. "I want to express my thanks by buying you dinner!"

"Besides" she said solemnly. "You said I had a pretty face…..

"….no one has ever said something like that to me before."

Aldebrand blinked – before mentally cursing himself. It seems his mercenary instincts had taken control at that point in time.

But it wasn't like he wasn't interested in Sylphiel – Hell, he had seen a lot of women in his time but she seemed somewhat….interesting.

No, something bothered Aldebrand. He was being persuaded into sharing dinner with someone he had just met. And someone whom he had just saved from certain death from a tavern brawl at that.

But there was also the nagging annoyance that he had seen her somewhere before. He was certain that this wasn't the first time that they had crossed paths. Indeed, his battle-forged instincts told him that he should be wary of Sylphiel.

And the sooner he gets away from her, the better……

"So Aldebrand" Sylphiel smiled. "Why did you come to my rescue like that?"

The mercenary blinked.

_Tell a lie! Tell a lie!_ A voice in his head urged. _This woman is bad news – we gotta get away from her!_

"Think nothing of it" the mercenary said. 'If I didn't, no one else would've and you would already be dead!"

Upon hearing this, Sylphiel's expression paled and her eyes grew apprehensive.

Seeing this change, the mercenary paused.

_Come on!_ The voice in his head commanded. _Now's your chance! Get out of here while you still can!"_

But instead of abiding to his inner wishes, Aldebrand felt compelled to stay. Quickly, he set about moving onto a different topic of conversation.

"What were you doing in there anyway?" the mercenary then asked.

"I was looking for a friend of mine" Syl replied.

"Yeah? Who?"

However, the Shrine Maiden didn't answer this question immediately. Instead she thought quickly how to approach it – Lina and Gourry still had a price on their heads and there was a very good chance that, if his battle-hardened appearance had anything to go by, Aldebrand could be a bounty hunter who had been sent to catch them.

"Errr…..well" she said. "Let's just say that one is a sorceress of powerful ability and the other is an excellent swordsman!"

"A swordsman eh?" The mercenary raised an eyebrow. "Interesting…."

"Oh?" Sylphiel asked. "Why's that?"

"I know quite a lot about swordplay myself." He replied. "And I would be curious to see if your friend is as excellent as you say so!"

Syl blinked.

"Say, do you know someone called Zangulus by any chance?"

"Who?"

"Oh never mind" the Shrine Maiden replied. She blushed – now _that_ was a stupid thing to say…..

Suddenly, she caught sight of a nearby restaurant. And this meant the perfect distraction!

"Hey look!" she said. "This looks like the perfect place to get a meal!"

Aldebrand opened his mouth to protest but he never got the chance. Before he knew it, Syl was bustling him into the restaurant without any delay

Once they were inside, he wheeled around to face the Shrine Maiden.

"Please!" he said his voice strong and firm. "There is no need for this!"

"But Aldebrand!" Syl protested. "Can't you at least accept this token of appreciation?"

The mercenary sighed in frustration – before he noticed Syl's eyes grow tense. Correctly suspecting that she was about to cry, he sighed.

"Okay, okay" he reasoned. "I accept your offer."

"Besides" he added. "It's been a while since someone else paid for my meal!"

Syl grinned and directed him into the restaurant.

_This better be worth it._ The mercenary thought.

_But seeing as I'm now stuck here, I might as well make the most of it….._

"So tell me" he said conversationally. "Who are these friends of yours?"

Suddenly, the air was pierced by some loud shouting from a nearby table.

"My Lina! This La-Sag-Knee is superb!"

"No Gourry! It's Lasagne! Lar-Sar-Neya!"

"Eh?!"

"Does that answer your question?" The shrine maiden groaned.

Just then Lina caught sight of the two diners.

"Syl!" she yelled. "Hiya Syl! Come right this way!"

"Well, Sylphiel" Aldebrand said. "They're inviting us over. Aren't you going to accept?"

The shrine maiden sighed before nodding.

But as the mercenary and Sylphiel approached the table, Aldebrand's blood slowly turned to ice. He recognised these two from the encounter earlier this morning. Needless to say, he grew apprehensive. There could be a chance that these people will recognise him. And when that happens, there's a very strong chance they could all turn on him.....

But fortunately for the mercenary, they didn't seem to notice him. Yet.

"Hey there!" Lina grinned, addressing Syl. "What have you been up to, eh?"

"I've been looking all over Saillune for you!" the shrine maiden replied, in exasperation. "What were you thinking, running off like that!?"

Then, Gourry noticed the man whom was accompanying Syl. "Hey, who are you?"

"Oh!" Sylphiel said. "He's Aldebrand. We've just met"

"Oh yeah?" Lina said, eyeing the mercenary up and down. "How's that?"

"He saved me from a tavern brawl!" the shrine maiden replied.

Lina blinked. Syl? In a tavern brawl? Odd - it wasn't like her to be a tavern let alone a brawl!

Something didn't seem right here – Thus, Lina locked the mercenary within a suspicious gaze.

"Hold on a minute" Gourry said to Aldebrand. "Haven't we seen you somewhere before? You look kinda fam....."

The swordsman never got to finish his sentence. For Aldebrand caught on quick as to what Gourry was going to say. Thus, in order to prevent his cover from being blown, the mercenary stuck his foot to deliver a sharp kick to the swordsman's shin!

Gourry let out a yelp of pain - But not that anyone really noticed.

"So tell me....Aldebrand" Lina said, conversationally, "What exactly do you do for a living?"

"I'm a sword for hire" the mercenary replied, in a rather definitive tone.

"Yeah?" Gourry said - now that that the topic of discussion had changed to swords he was now ready to give his undivided attention (if such a thing existed in the swordsman).

"So what are you doing now? Hunting someone down?"

Just then, Lina pulled Gourry out from his chair and away from the table - by the ear.

"Excuse us" the red-head said. "Gourry and myself have gotta have a little chat...."

Lina pulled the swordsman away as, Syl and Aldebrand exchanged bemused glances. Eventually they shrugged and sat down at opposite ends of the table.

"Is that normal?" the mercenary inquired.

"Yes it is" Sylphiel sighed.

"They seem to be a colourful pair" the mercenary noted politely.

The shrine maiden sighed a second time. If only he knew the half of it…….

Meanwhile, now a fair distance from the table, Lina began whispering at Gourry.

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

"What?" Gourry protested.

"Don't give me that!" Lina snapped. "There's something about him I don't like."

"Oh?"

"This guy could still be after us!"

"You think so?" Gourry replied diminutively. "He seems like a nice guy to me."

"That's what he wants you to think!"

"Huh?"

This made Lina slap her forehead in frustration.

"Okay listen" she said. "I'm just saying that we should be on our guard with this guy. He could be dangerous!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Satisfied with this conclusion, the two adventurers went back to the table.

"Have we come to a conclusion?" Syl inquired.

"Yeah!" Gourry beamed. "We've decided that Aldebrand is...."

But the swordsman never got to finish his sentence - For Lina brought her foot down on his own! Gourry grimaced with pain but, fortunately, not a sound escaped his lips.

The red-head then cleared her throat.

"Wow Syl" she chuckled teasingly. "I didn't you were into the warrior types!"

Sylphiel blinked

"What are you talking about?!" Gourry demanded. "She spent over a year chasing after me!"

Upon hearing this, a long-forgotten and painful memory triggered in the depths of Syl's heart. A trigger that was enough to dim the spark in her eyes and pale her complexion.

Seeing this change in Sylphiel, Lina slapped her forehead in frustration. Dammit, Jellyfish Brains has done it again.....

Aldebrand blinked at Syl. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he then gave to the shrine maiden.

"Here" he said.

As Gourry and Lina blinked in astonishment, Sylphiel took the handkerchief and used it to dry her eyes.

"Thanks" she said.

Gourry blinked at Lina.

"He could be dangerous eh?" he whispered.

"I wouldn't be letting my guard down just yet" the sorceress murmured through gritted teeth.

Then without a further ado, the two both resumed sitting at the table.

However, the rest of the meal was a grim affair. Lina and Gourry were both suspicious of Aldebrand and remained silent. But thy weren't the only one's: The mercenary wasn't exactly enthusiastic with conversation so he said nothing.

Sylphiel noticed this and tired to break the tension.

"Soooo" she said. "Have you two being enjoying your time in Saillune?"

"Yes" Lina said. Gourry nodded his agreement.

Syl blinked as another period of grim silence settled in. Perhaps she should try a different tack:

"You know Gourry" she said. "Aldebrand told me he's a swordsman as well!"

"Really?" the blond-haired idiot replied, his speech suddenly enthusiastic.

"Yes" the mercenary replied.

This in turn, gave way for yet another period of awkward silence.

"Sooo" Lina said. "Aldebrand, you seem to have led an adventurous life"

"That is true"

The sorceress raised an eyebrow. Hey, this looks like a breakthrough....

"Yeah? Doing what?"

"Killing people"

Such was the unexpected nature of this response that Lina and Gourry immediately feel silent.

"Ahhhhhh-haaa...." Syl laughed awkwardly. "I sure you...."

But it was too late: Lina and Gourry had already exchanged knowing glances and were getting to their feet.

"Uh Syl?" the sorceress replied. "We've just remembered something and we need to split"

"Yeah" the swordsman added. "Nice meeting you Aldebrand"

And with that, they both made their way out of the restaurant and into the busy streets of Saillune.

* * *

"So his name is Aldebrand?"

"Yes"

"Really? What's he like?"

"….I………."

"Yes?"

Lina sighed. She wasn't really enjoying being grilled by Amelia for information. But ever since she mentioned that Sylphiel had met a man, she had been besieged for information from the eager princess.

Lina and Amelia were both in the guest quarter of the Saillune palace. They were both sitting on a comfortable couch whilst Naga lent on the wall nearby. Outside the door, all three could hear the hustle and bustle as the palace servants went everywhere to attend to the momentous banquet that Phil had ordered. And beyond the window, the sun was setting over Saillune, thus casting a palette of orange light that streamed in through the window.

"….I….." Lina said. "I'm not quite sure what to make of him"

Amelia blinked. "Why's that?"

"He looks like a warrior to me…"

"Really?"

"Is that a fact?" Naga said. "Knowing you Lina, you were always attracted to rich looking types! OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

The princess chuckled at her sister but the redhead grimaced.

"So did you say anything to ….this Aldebrand?" Amelia went on

"Well he didn't seem to talkative" Lina said slowly. "Both myself and Gourry tired to maintain a conversation out of him but he didn't seem too keen on talking"

"I see…."

"If anything" the sorceress mused, "He didn't seem keen to be there….."

"Oh, anyone would try to do anything to get out of talking to you Lina!" Naga said. "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

"So Naga" Lina growled. "What did you get up this afternoon?"

"Oh, I went around the palace with Daddy! I got to know so much about him!"

"That's wonderful Gracia!" Amelia grinned.

"Yes!" Naga cowered. "I had no idea how I was born into such a family with so much money!!!! OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

As Lina's muscles began to twitch with homicidal rage, Amelia cleared her throat.

"In any case" she said. "I would like to meet this Aldebrand. I think I can arrange a seat for him at the banquet…."

Lina blinked. "What?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea!" Naga added.

"Now hold on a second here…" Lina started.

"Of course!" Amelia said, addressing her sister and ignoring Lina, "that way we can all meet Aldebrand at once."

"Are you two going to listen to me?!" said one frustrated sorceress.

"If Syl likes him then he can't be all that bad!" Amelia grinned excitedly.

"Just think – if he can win Syl over so easily" Naga beamed. "Then he must be a man to die for!"

And then both the Saillune sisters started laughing: "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

"RIGHT!" Lina bellowed. "That does it! FIREBALL!!!!!"

* * *

Night descended upon Saillune. But inside the palace itself, it was a hurricane of noise, light and activity. The banquet that Phil had ordered to celebrate the return of his long-lost daughter Gracia had been arranged in quick succession. Thus, the servants of the place had been running this and that, busying themselves with food preparation, decoration arranging and the general tidying of the palace itself. Indeed, each and every palace servant bore an understanding of this occasion, so they were working with a responsibility and the excitement that this event goes flawlessly.

Sadly, not everyone involved with the banquet shared such sentiments.

"I! Hate! These! High! HEELS!" thundered a grouchy but distinctive voice.

Lina Inverse and Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune both made their way to the dining room dressed in impressive finery in accordance to the demands of the occasion. Amelia was bedecked in an exquisite crimson gown whilst Lina had picked out a black number. Both had accompanying white gloves that reached to the elbows and an impressive selection of jewellery.

But, living a life of constantly on the road and being an infamous bandit killer, hadn't prepared Lina for the nightmare that was high heels!

"Whose idea was it to wear these anyway?" the red-head snapped.

"Relax Lina!" Amelia replied. "It all takes the right amount of patience and balance!"

"Yeah, it would take a princess to know this type of thing"

"What?" Amelia said teasingly. "You defeated Ruby Eye Shabranigdu, Dark Star, and countless other foes and horrors - And yet you can't overcome wearing high heels?"

"Oh yeah?!" Lina growled. "I'll show you!"

"Lina!" Amelia exclaimed in alarm. "Watch out!"

Despite her consistent grumbling, Lina couldn't quite master standing on high heels, let alone walking! Thus, she stumbled left and right, down the hallway. She stumbled into a pillar, before knocking over a decorative ornate bust and finally slamming into a wall!

Amelia winced with the sound of each collision before seeing her friend sprawled out onto the floor - the battle with the high heels well and truly lost.

"Lina?" the princess cried out in alarm as she hurried over. "Are you all right?'

The sorceress didn't reply. Instead she moaned in derision.

Amelia opened her mouth to speak.....

....before being cut off by a loud noise coming from up the hallway.

The two adventurers looked up towards the source of the noise. And what they saw was Naga. Like her two associates, the raven-haired sorceress was dressed in an impressive dining gown. This one was black with a red skirt and accompanying black gloves. Sadly, this gown did little to change Naga - even in that outfit she was as voluptuous as ever.   
Even Lina was impressed - this was the first time she had seen her 'travelling companion' in anything that wasn't the infamous battle bikini.

But now, no amount of finery could stop Naga from moving down the hallway at an extraordinary speed. Her legs were going in all directions, her facial expression was one of panic and her balance awkward.

Then, much to the astonishment of both Amelia and Lina, Naga continued on her way plunging blindly down the hallway. She didn't seem to pay attention to her sister and her former associate.

"Gracia!" Amelia cried out in alarm. She got to her feet and chased after her sister.

Lina chuckled at Naga's predicament. It seems the red-head wasn't the only one having troubles with the nightmare that was high heels.

* * *

Elsewhere, Gourry and Zelgadis waited outside the dining room for their friends. And as was necessary with attending a royal banquet, both were dressed in princely clothes kindly lent by the palace itself. Gourry was in a blue tunic with white trousers, and a white collar. Zel was in the same outfit but whilst his tunic was blue, his trousers and collar were black.

And although the chimera felt ridiculous, Gourry didn't seem to mind at all.

"Wow" the swordsman grinned. "Can't wait to see what Phil has for the banquet"

"You're actually looking forward to this?' Zel replied.

Gourry blinked, before catching onto what the chimera was thinking.

"Hey look on the bright side Zel" the swordsman grinned, pointing at the tunic. "It matches your hair and your skin!"

Upon hearing this, Zelgadis nursed his head in one hand as he let out a groan.

Suddenly, Gourry's face adopted a more serious tone.

"Say" he said. "Have you met Aldebrand yet?"

Zel blinked. "Who?"

"I've only just met him this afternoon" the swordsman explained. "Sylphiel introduced him to Lina and myself – Said he saved her from a tavern brawl."

"Really…." Zelgadis mused.

Suddenly, his facial expression grew sceptical:

"Sylphiel? A tavern brawl? That sounds unlikely."

"You're not the only one who thinks so" Gourry replied.

"Have you met him?" the chimera inquired. "What is he like?"

"I can't really say……"

"Oh?"

"Well, Sylphiel seems to like him a lot but…. Lina seems distrustful of him"

"And you?"

"Well, I follow Lina's judgement."

"And why doesn't that surprise me…." Zelgadis murmured.

Just then, Amelia turned into the hallway. She was followed by Lina and Naga - both of whom were leaning on each other and looking well worn, quite bedraggled and very frustrated. It seems the battle with the high heels had produced no clear victor....

Seeing the sorceress like this, brought Gourry into action. He quickly moved to her side.

"Lina!" he exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

He quickly let out an assisting hand to which Lina gladly accepted - But this, in turn, left Naga without any pillar of support. Consequently, she hit the floor with a loud thud (not that any one seemed to notice).

Lina smiled at Gourry.

"You look nice" the swordsman said.

"And you don't look so bad yourself" she replied.

"I do?" he replied diminutively.

Amelia gently reached out her hand - to which Zel gently took up. The princess smiled at the chimera.

"You look.....amazing" Zelgadis breathed.

"And you look truly handsome" Amelia smiled sweetly - before giggling as a bright red flush burst out across the chimera' face.

"Say" Gourry said. "Where's Sylphiel?"

Upon mentioning the shrine maiden, silence descended the five (including Naga who was still on the floor)

"I don't know" Lina mused. "I didn't see her on the way down here"

"You don't suppose" Amelia said. "That she _will_ be joined by Aldebrand?"

At the mention of the mercenary, everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"I seriously doubt that!" Lina said quickly. "It seems unlikely that he would turn up at this dinner!"

"Why do you seem so sure?" Amelia replied.

"Oh come on, we've all just met him!" the sorceress retorted. "If she already has an eye for him then the rate that this relationship is moving at seems ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous yes but not infeasible" Zel argued, casting an eye at Gourry. "I mean, this IS Sylphiel we're talking about"

"Well, what do we all think of him?" Amelia inquired, scanning her eyes across her associates.

A brief moment of silence followed.

"I don't trust him" Lina said firmly with her arms folded.

"Same here" Gourry added.

"I have yet to meet him" Zel declared.

"Neither have I" Naga mumbled (but no one seemed to notice)

"However" Zelgadis went on. "As we can't seem to com to a conclusion about him, we must ask ourselves this: Do we have any clue on his intentions. Or, for that matter, his past?"

And all the chimera got in the way of replies was three (plus one) blank expressions.

"Actually, Aldebrand hasn't mentioned anything of that sort" Lina said softly.

"And the fact that he has made an impression on Sylphiel" Zel added darkly "Is all the more suspicious."

By now, Naga had managed to get back to her feet. Although the high heels made walking difficult, she leant on a nearby wall for support.

"No way!" Amelia argued. "You don't seem prepared to give him a chance!"

"And you are?" Zelgadis growled.

"Well yes!" she said. "If Syl likes him then he must be a good man!"

"That's right!" Naga chimed in. "Do you three have any idea on the amount of persuasion that my sister and Syl had to do at such short notice?!"

"And besides," Amelia added. "The occasion of dinner seems like the perfect opportunity to get to know him. If you are nice to him then, chances are, he could be nice back!"

Sadly, the princess' proposal fell on deaf ears: Lina snorted her contempt for such an idea and the chimera looked as suspicious as ever.

"But in any case" Naga said. "I won't be surprised if Sylphiel turns up in Aldebrand's company."

"That's absurd!" Zel growled. "How can he make such an impression so quickly?! She only just met him this afternoon!"

"He doesn't seem so bad to me" the princess protested.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you" Zelgadis warned.

"I agree with Zel." Lina said. "I'm certain he's got something to hide."

"Really?" Amelia blinked. "You've never struck me as being someone so quick to make such a judgement"

"You can talk" Lina snorted.

"Gourry!" Naga snapped. "Talk some sense in her!"

The swordsman blinked. Being confronted with two accusing gazes, wanting his support in this argument. Of course, such arguments usually result in drastic effect. Henceforth, this left the swordsman in a tight spot. Perspiration began dripping from his forehead. His fingers twitched and his lips trembled. No matter what he answered here, it would result in certain death from the one whom he didn't support.   
He needed an escape hatch and quick....

"Quiet!" Zelgadis said. "Here she comes!"

Everyone looked up - Except Gourry who breathed a heavy sigh of relief. And there was Sylphiel, dressed in a deep blue dining gown. She too had accompanying white gloves and jewellery. But what was striking was the fact that she was arriving here at the dining room with Aldebrand. Like Zel and Gourry, he was dressed in the same palace donated clothes but he had a black tunic with red trousers and collar.

Aldebrand himself seemed uncomfortable. Being a mercenary he was unused to luxurious living such as this. He had no idea how to act at a table nor how to act in front of royalty. His place was in the battle field, not in dinner table manners. But Sylphiel had to do a lot of work to secure him a place at the table so he should at least be grateful.

Despite how much he feels out of place in a situation such as this.

Man, talk about wanting to repay a debt…….

"Hey everyone!" The Shrine Maiden grinned.

Regardless of everyone's suspicions for Aldebrand, all managed to provide an acceptable greeting.

The mercenary paused – but it didn't take long before his eyes fell on the chimera. It was then that he raised an eyebrow. He could recall seeing the chimera before from that previous altercation. Thus the mercenary was, naturally, wary. This must be the Zelgadis that Syl told him about – she said that he was in possession of a cursed form and was quite strong in his resentment of it. Thus, Aldebrand was warned not to talk about it too much.   
But this was the first time that he had the opportunity to see the chimera at such a close range. And the mercenary admitted that he had never seen anything quite like him before. His form was extraordinary to behold - and indeed worthy of concern......

However, Zel suddenly felt the mercenary's eyes prying upon him. He immediately returned his gaze with a grim, distrustful expression.

But, it didn't take Lina long to break the tension.

"All right then!" Lina grinned. "We're all here, then! Lets go get some food!"

Just then, as if on cue, the doors to the dining room opened. A servant brought the colourful lights and delicious smells into the hallway from the dining room. This broke the four from their silence and reminded them as to why they were here:

For the FOOD!

"Dinner is served" the servant proclaimed.

"All right!" grinned Lina and Gourry, who darted off into the dining room without a moments further hesitation.

At the mention of food, Naga staggered from her position leaning against the wall - the frustration of high heels forgotten completely!

"You're not starting any meal without me Lina!" she yelled, as she too darted into the dining room at an incredible speed.

Sylphiel and Aldebrand followed - thus leaving Amelia and Zel standing in the hallway.

The princess turned to the chimera - and then noticed his face was moulded in a grim expression.

"Zel?" she inquired. "Is something the matter?"

The chimera nodded. "Yes there is"

Amelia sighed in derison.

"Let me guess....Aldebrand?"

"There's something about him I can't put my finger on....."

"Well you know what they say: The first impression is usually the worst" she grinned in an optimistic manner.

Zel sighed. He certainly all about that…..

"Come on" she said hopefully. "Can you at least give him a chance?"

The chimera folded his arms and shook his head.

"Honestly, can't you at least try to be friendly?"

Zel snorted.

"You know, you're not going to get anywhere if you aren't prepared to place a little trust in people"

Zelgadis still refused to reply

The princess threw up her hands.

"Forget it" she sighed. "I'm sorry I asked."

But it didn't take her long to adopt a smile that was as sweet as sugar.

"But in the meantime" she grinned. "Would the chimera have the honour of escorting the princess to dinner?"

Zel nodded and took his hand in hers - But still an enormous blush made it's way across his face,

* * *

The dinner itself was certainly a colourful occasion. Philionel sat at the head of the table with his daughters at either side. Lina and Gourry joined Naga at on side of the table whilst Syl and Zelgadis sat with Amelia on the other side. Aldebrand sat at the other end of the table but only Sylphiel and Gourry had enough gall to sit at either side of him.

But regardless of the suspiciousness that was residing at the table, Phil was at his most jovial. And who could blame him? For the first time in a long time, he was dining with his two beloved daughters. The family had been reunited at long last. And as an added bonus, he had the pleasure of being joined for dinner by fine friends....(and an extra).

Yes, the enormity of the situation even had him overlook the appalling table manners of Naga, Gourry and Lina.....

"Yes!" Phil grinned. "Eat up! I'm sure you're all hungry following your life on the road!"

Amelia let out a heavy sigh. Jeez, parents can be embarrassing.....

"So tell me.....Aldebrand" the princess went on, in a conversational manner. "What do you do for a living?"

"I...I am a warrior for hire" came the reply.

"Really..........?" Lina said dryly, recalling what he said at the restaurant earlier that day.

"Yeah!" Syl added. "He's good with the swords!"

"Hrm......" Gourry blinked.

"Of course!" Aldebrand said. Now that the foundations of conversation have been established, he may as well build on them. Besides, he was in a tight spot here being at a dinner table with royal presence. So he might as well go with the flow.....

"Cool!" the swordsman grinned. "You know, I happen to have the Sword of Light!"

"You're kidding?" the mercenary blinked in astonishment. "THE Sword of Light?"

Lina blinked - it seems Gourry and Aldebrand have hit off amazingly well.  
Oh well, stranger things have happened.....

Just then Philionel stood up, with wine glass in hand, to make a speech.

"I'm so glad my daughter Gracia has returned to me!" he proclaimed. "Why, we have so much catching up to do!"

Naga blinked: "Catching up?"

"Of course!" Phil beamed. "We have so much to talk about! Where you've been, what you've been up to and, most importantly of all, succession!"

Upon hearing this, everything on the table fell into an abrupt but stunned silence.

"SUCCESSION?!" Lina exclaimed. "Are you serious!?"

"Of course!" the Crown Prince grinned. "Gracia is my eldest! She's next in line!"

"So tell me Gracia" he went on, addressing Naga. "How did you meet Amelia?"

The raven-haired sorceress was stunned at being offered the chance of succession. She was equally perplexed at being addressed with such a peculiar alias. Nevertheless, she still managed speech:

"I met her when I was hanging around Xelloss Metallium!" she replied.

Upon hearing, the name of the infamous Trickster Priest, Phil raised an eyebrow. Still, he allowed Naga to continue:

"Yes, I met Amelia when I was going to bring down the evil forces in Dakeyras and show up Lina!"

"Dakeyras eh?" Phil asked, as Lina coughed.

Noticing Zel adopting a grim expression, Amelia quickly spoke up: "Yes, Gracia told me that she used to travel around with Lina!"

"Really?" Gourry inquired. "Funny, she never told me"

Ignoring the swordsman, the Crown Prince went on: "Ah, so you two are friends, hrm?"

Upon hearing this, Lina's face went crashing down onto the plate. Naga, however, found hilarity in the frustration of her rival. So much so, she began relax and do what she did best in a situation like this: Laugh.

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

All, including Aldebrand, winced. Amelia and Phil however didn't seem to mind at all.

Lina groaned. It seems Naga is truly a Saillune through and through....

* * *

Elsewhere, many miles from the hustle and bustle that made up Saillune, Thyruss brooded in his citadel. He sat at his desk with an ink quill in hand, nutting out his plan of attack.

Even though Thyruss was fortunate enough to find this citadel, it still bore signs of being neglected for countless ages - Consequently, there were numerous shadows that came filtering in through the room. Shadows that grasped the room in it's grip and laughed in the face of what little light that came through the window.

And such an abundance of shadows provided the perfect hiding place.

Suddenly he heard a voice echo out across his chamber.

"Hello there Thyruss" the voice said.

The warlord looked up from his desk, his eyebrow raised in a suspicious manner. He cast an inquisitive glare across the room - only to be confronted with empty spaces and little furniture choked with a sea of shadows.

Funny. He could've sworn he heard a voice a minute ago

Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him.

Eventually, he shrugged and returned to his work.

Suddenly the voice spoke up a second time:

"No, I am not some figment of your imagination. I am quite real."

This made Thyruss' hand stop writing.

He hesitated - unsure what to do next.

It was then that the voice, now growing stronger in an authoritive tone, spoke again: "Ah that's better. Good to see you're listening.

"So tell me - How's your plan of domination coming along?"

This made Thyruss jump straight out of his chair and onto his feet.

"Where are you? What are you doing here?" the warlord thundered. He had no idea who was addressing him but he was certain that it was one of his mercenaries.

And one who was making him look foolish at that.

However, if that is the case, then perhaps Thyruss should make an example of the bastard, telling all of the others that their employer is not one to be trifled with…..

"Rest assured that I am not one of your minions." The voice replied, in a calm manner.

"Then who are you?" Thyruss roared, drawing his sword in an aggressive manner. "Show yourself!"

"Well I would like to…….

"But that doesn't really suit my style"

"WHAT?!?!?"

"Come on, I have managed to find my way into your private chamber without attracting much attention. No one else in this citadel knows that I am here"

"They will when I remove your head from your shoulders!!!"

"And when you say things like that, do you really think I would show my face now?!"

"Well" Thyruss snarled. "If you have the courage to sneak in here, you might as well have the courage to face my blade! Stop hiding you gutless worm!"

"Oh please" the voice mocked. "I am no threat to you"

"NO THREAT?!?!?" Thyruss bellowed. "You invade my private chambers, and now your torment me with your facelessness attitude and your words! And you say you're no threat?!?!?!"

"Of course" the voice replied bluntly, maintaining a calm attitude despite Thyruss' anger.

The warlord opened his mouth to deliver another enraged speech.

But the voice cut him off before he could even begin: "I wish to discuss business."

This stopped Thyruss dead in his tracks. Immediately, facial expression banished all concept of fury - only to be replaced with intrigue.

"Business?" he growled softly. "What kind of business?"

"I want to offer my services to your banner in return for sanctuary."

"Oh yeah?" the warlord snarled, suspiciously. "And what kind of services to you have in mind?"

"I know you want to invade Saillune" came the reply. "But there are obstacles in your path that even you don't know about"

This made Thyruss pause. If what the voice was telling him was correct then he has just been struck with an opportunity. And any opportunity must be utilised to it's full extreme.

"How did you get in here?" he inquired.

"I merely snuck in, right under the noses of your mercenaries. And to reiterate: you're the only one in this citadel who knows I'm here"

"Well I have to admire your gall" Thyruss said. "To evade all of those homicidal lunatics is a feat in itself. And in order to accomplish that goal, you must have something important to tell me. So I will hear you out - But only once you've shown your face."

The voice chuckled. "Well, I guess since we're now on speaking terms, I might as well."

And with these words, the owner of the voice, stepped out from the shadows. He carried with him a staff and a grin that was twisted with mischief.

"Allow me to introduce myself" he said. "I am Xelloss Metallium....."

* * *

Next Chapter  
Contents  



	5. 4 Devious

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Chapter 4  
Devious! - Choose a side and take it!

* * *

Thyruss glared suspiciously at the mazoku. Who was this guy? Judging for this appearance, he doesn't look anything special. He doesn't look like the type of person to sneak into his citadel and elude all the guards in order to confront the warlord himself. Too overpower, and outwit, all those bloodthirsty maniacs would have to take a brave man. Thus, such a task was better suited to a warrior with incredible strength or impressive cunning.

But this 'Xelloss' doesn't seem the type to possess any of these qualities.....

Nevertheless, if he's come all this way, then he must have something important to say....

"So….. Xelloss" the warlord said. "You seek sanctuary?"

"That's right" the Trickster priest replied, opening his eyes. "In fact, I wish to join you in your cause. I want to join your crusade to overthrow the Saillune ruling house"

Upon hearing this, Thyruss' gaze hardened.

_Hang on. _

_That name....Metallium....._

"How do you know about that?" the warlord snapped. "How can you know of my intentions when I've told only so few?"

Xelloss softly chuckled as he closed his eyes and delivered his answer:

"That's a secret!"

Thyruss could feel his fingers twitch with rage but he still retained a cool head.

"You say you have information that can help me" the warlord point out. "Otherwise you wouldn't have gone to all this effort to speak to me"

_Thyruss was certain he had heard the name somewhere before. But where.....?_

"Of course" The mazoku replied, opening his eyes. "But it all depends on how badly you want this information."

"Cut the crap!" the warlord snarled. "I'm not in any mood for such nonsense."

"Pity"

Thyruss' eyes hardened and he got to his feet.

"You know" he said, as he made his way out from behind his desk. "It is not an easy business to set up and maintain a revolution you know..."

"Oh, absolutely" Xelloss replied - His eyes had now retuned to a state of being open and they were taking in every movement the warlord made.

"Which is why" Thyruss went on, now advancing towards the mazoku. "I currently have no tolerance for any mind games whatsoever..."

The Trickster Priest said nothing. Instead, he let out a slight chuckle as Thyruss continued:

"....So, I'm going to get your information on way or another...."

"Bring it on...." Xelloss murmured, under his breath.

"...even if I have to force it out of you - like THIS!"

In one swift movement, Thyruss drew his sword and sliced it in a huge arc through the air.

But the sword never came into contact. Instead all it did was pierce an empty space where the mazoku once was.

The warlord blinked. What the?

"You are so predictable, you know that?" came a voice behind him.

Thyruss turned his head to see the Trickster Priest standing behind him and grinning. Snarling his anger, the warlord brought his sword down on the troublemaking mazoku.

But to what avail? Xelloss didn't seem too bothered about such a blade - he just vanished again.

The warlord paused. Who was this guy? He seemed capable some extraordinary power - the likes of which Thyruss had never seen before. He also seemed to retain a cool head and showed no fear whatsoever.   
Considering the trouble he went to in order to get here, he must have something to tell - But what?  
And why does the name of Metallium sound disturbingly familiar...?

"Looking for someone?"

At the sound of his name, the warlord looked up - to see Xelloss floating in the air above him, just below the ceiling.

"What are you doing up there?" Thyruss snapped.

"That's a secret!"

Snarling in fury, the warlord weld his sword in Xelloss' direction - But no amount of effort would ever bring the blade into contact - The mazoku just chuckled as he dodged everything that Thyruss threw at him.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"Compared to what?" came the reply.

Finally Thyruss sighed. Defeated, he lowered his sword.

"All right then." he said. "You win. I'll grant you sanctuary in my crusade."

"Very sensible, Thyruss" Xelloss said, using the warlord's name for the first time.

"So tell me" the mazoku went on. "How many men do you have ready to aid you in your revolution?"

Upon hearing this, the warlord's expression grew embarrassed.

"Erm.... Five"

Upon hearing this, the Trickster priest fell over backwards in disbelief - into the wall.

"Five!?!?" Xelloss exclaimed. "You expect to overthrow Saillune with only FIVE?!?!?"

"Yes." Thyruss replied calmly. "Of course, I do have a secret weapon....."

And it at this, that Xelloss' gaze hardened. A secret weapon eh? Now he was interested.

"But in any case" the warlord went on. "We could always do with an extra spare set of hands. So I hope your information is worth all this trouble."

"Trust me, it is" the mazoku said. "Ever heard of Lina Inverse?"

"That I have" Thyruss answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Then you might be interested to know that she is a friend of the Saillune ruling family" Xelloss said firmly. "In fact she is here, right now, in this very city."

The warlord paused as the enormity of this revelation sank in. He had heard stories of Lina and those stories were truly the stuff of legend. He had heard of her incredibly destructive prowess. He had heard of her motivation drawing on her on a quest to find a half-decent meal. And he had heard of her lightening fast temper.....

But he had never believed such accounts. He had always found her achievements and her reputation difficult to comprehend. Henceforth he always laughed at such stories, dismissing them as just that - stories. Old wives only believe in that nonsense...

However, in any case, if the rumours were true then he must take caution....

Xelloss caught the warlord's expression and guessed what he was thinking.

"I can assure you that Lina is certainly a major obstacle in your path" the mazoku said. "And I speak from someone whom has spent a long time travelling with Lina."

"Really?" the warlord growled. "Then how do you expect me to trust you? For all I know, you could be working for Lina"

"Well then" Xelloss shot back. "If you feel that way, then you're discarding the only reliable source on Lina Inverse.

"Besides" he added. "Lina couldn't care less about what happens to me!"

Thyruss shrugged. "Makes sense."

"Well then" he continued. "I see no reason as to why I should refuse your offer."

"Thank you" Xelloss grinned, as he closed his eyes. "Rest assured that you have made the correct decision."

And with that, he turned to go.

...._wait a minute! Metallium! Of course he has heard that name before!_

"Wait!" The warlord yelled.

The mazoku turned around, his facial expression one of intrigue.

"Xelloss Metallium...." Thyruss mused. "The name sounds familiar...."

The Trickster Priest didn't reply. Instead he smiled a malevolent smile.

"Of course!" The warlord yelled. "I know. You're cohorts with the Lord of Wolf Pack Island!"

"Indeed I am" the mazoku grinned.

Thyruss blinked at this revelation.

"Holy L-sama" he murmured "I have a mazoku in my midst.....

".....FANTASTIC!"

And suddenly, before Xelloss could do anything, the warlord grabbed him by the waist and scooped him up into a massive bear hug.

"Marvellous!" Thyruss said with delight. "With a mazoku in my command the revolution is as good as won!"

"Yeah....." Xelloss grimaced.

"Your proposal is definitely accepted! With you're power and my schemes, Saillune will be history!!!!"

The mazoku blinked, as his lungs began facing difficulty in receiving the necessary air needed to keep functioning.

"I'm so glad you think so….." he murmured.

* * *

Later that evening, the warlord took the mazoku on a guided tour of the citadel:

Right now, they were both within the mountain underneath the citadel. Xelloss was being led by the warlord down a spiral staircase, that had been wholly craved from the rock, with their way lit up by a succession of burning torches.

"What I'm about to show you" Thyruss explained. "Is the heart of our operation. It is here that we keep the secret of our victory, learning how to use it and discovering it's true potential"

"Really?" Xelloss muttered. "Considering you've got five people helping you in your revolution, you need all the help you can get."

"What was that?" the warlord snarled, turning to face the mazoku.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Xel grinned. "Nothing at all!"

Thyruss glared at his new-found ally but turned back and resumed on his way.

With Thyruss as his guide, the mazoku had seen a fair portion of the citadel. But what Xel had seen wasn't particularly interesting. If anything it looked very much like the headquarters of every other lunatic, would-be, power-monger.

But it was _this_ place deep in the rock that Xelloss was particularly interested in. Knowing how these idiots worked, they always kept their most powerful secrets in the most deepest of lairs underneath their hideouts. And if Thyruss was confident of victory, then he must have some secret weapon of some sort. And if he's so assured of succeeding in a revolution with only five people then his secret weapon must be of the exceptionally powerful type....

The stairs led deeper and deeper into the mountain. Suddenly, the stairs ended at a doorway. An open doorway where golden light blazed from.

Thyruss turned to the mazoku and grinned.

"This is it" the warlord proclaimed

"I see" Xelloss noted. "And this is you keep your almighty secret weapon?"

"Oh indeed" the warlord replied, as he led the Trickster Priest past the doorway. "And this is what it is!"

What was beyond the doorway was certainly an impressive sight: It was a giant room that too had been carved into the rock. But, unlike the stairs, this room had proper floors, walls and a ceiling - all made up out of countless golden tiles. Torches illuminated the entire room, adding illumination to the tiling effect, and revealing the room's contents. The room suddenly was a mess - There were various scorch marks on the walls, floor and even on the ceiling. There were also piles of rubbish scattered randomly around the room, each of varying size. There was also a stench of ash and flame that hung in the air.

At one end of the room there was a table containing a mess of charts, notes, crystal vials and other scientific apparatus. At the other end, there as a woman on her knees, with her back to the two men.

Xelloss opened his eyes, in a bored fashion.

"This is it?" he demanded his tone of voice betraying his lack of impression .

"Watch" Thyruss replied.

Just then, the woman stood up and turned around. It was then that Xelloss got his first good look at her. She dressed in a gorgeous, strapless, blue gown with gold lining. She had the skin of the finest porcelain and a face that was kindly and gentle, yet intelligent and dark. This woman also had ruby red lips and dark hair swung over the back her head and held in place by a gold head band.

The woman seemed to pay no attention to the two newcomers. Instead, she walked to the table and picked up a piece of wood up off it. Holding this from herself by the full length of her arm her eyes hardened.

"FIREFLASH!" she yelled.

Immediately, the plank of wood burst into an impressive jet of flame. Then, the woman hurled this jet of flame across the room - where it struck the opposing wall with an incredible explosion. The whole room shuddered as the wall was engulfed by the huge ball of flame!

But it didn't take long for the explosion to die down. Within time, the whole thing died down - thus leaving yet another burn mark on the wall.

Both Thyruss and the woman looked pleased with the result. Xelloss blinked his facial expression one of astonishment. He had no idea what he had just witnessed. He was not certain as to what the woman had cast or exactly how she went about it. But, from the looks of it she managed to cast something that resembled the Flare Arrow from the Lore of Dark Magic. But even this had quite a powerful effect. Xelloss had seen Lina cast Flare arrows before but, in the terms of effect, even they seemed feeble by comparison.

"That's our secret weapon" Thyruss grinned triumphantly. "Impressive, I think you'll agree"

Xelloss nodded.

"This is what is going to win us Saillune" the warlord said, as he made his way over to the table "Alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Xelloss echoed. "Isn't that the art of turning metal into gold?"

The warlord didn't answer. Instead, he strode over to the awaiting woman. Gently, he placed his hand underneath her chin and brought his lips to hers.

Then, he broke contact and fixed the woman with a warm smile.

"That was quite a sight" he said softly.

"The strongest yet" the woman replied confidently.

"You have done well" the warlord smiled.

"Thank you my lord."

"So tell me" the woman went on, her eyes in Xelloss' direction. "Who's your friend?"

"Him?" Thyruss replied. "He came to me offering to hep us if we let him join our cause."

"He doesn't look anything special." the woman sneered - to which Xelloss' eyes hardened.

"Don't you know who this is?" the warlord retorted. "This is Xelloss Metallium!"

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes widened.

"No way!" she exclaimed, softly.

Satisfied his point had been made clear, Thyruss then turned to Xelloss.

"This is Valentina" he said. "She is my most trusted advisor and my most powerful practitioner of Alchemy"

"You expect to overthrow Crown Prince Philionel with a science of turning metal to gold?!" Xelloss demanded - his facial expression one of utter exasperation. "You're going to have a tough time doing it! I'm sure the people of Saillune will be frightened by gigantic mounds of gold!"

"Of course not!" the warlord said, his voice stern and his eyes blazing with annoyance. "Yes, we both study Alchemy but we have taken this science one step further.

"You see, in the art of Alchemy, you can have anything you want - provided you are willing to give up something else. If one can provide something of equal amount, the rewards are powerful beyond belief!"

Xelloss closed his eyes. Well, that would certainly explain the impressive feat of magic he had just witnessed. He had seen Alchemy in practice before but all that was just the work of educated men who were looking into it as a science and greedy men who needed a quick way to get rich.

Therefore, this was the first time the Trickster priest had seen such a concept being used as a source of MAGIC! And this certainly was a different, and indeed fascinating, way of casting spells.

It seems that in his thousand-something year existence, there are still things in this world that can surprise him…….

"I must admit you certainly have confidence in your abilities" Xel said. "But isn't the usage of Alchemy somewhat limited?"

"Not quite." Thyruss grinned. "All we need to do is surrender something to obtain our power. Just as long as that is one object, we can do anything! Why, we have advanced the science of alchemy that we can bend the strongest of metals to our will! Iron, copper, tin, gold, silver, lead - we can manipulate it as easily as a child can snap off the head of a doll!"

"Really?"

"Of course!" the warlord grinned. "All we need to do is simply touch something with a trace of metal and we can use it any form we see fit!

Xelloss didn't reply. Right now, he was contemplating his next move. Thyruss had such a strong faith in his power that he seemed hardly bothered by any obstacle of any shape or form. He seemed hardly the type who will resort to desperation - and that in turn makes him somewhat difficult to manipulate....

"But in the meantime" Thyruss said, "Perhaps I should leave you two to get acquainted eh?"

And with that, he turned away and headed out of the room and up the rock staircase.

This left Xelloss alone with Valentina.

The Trickster Priest grinned a mischievous grin at the woman - But even with his eyes closed, he could still tell she was glaring at him.

"A mazoku eh?" she growled.

"Me? A mazoku?" Xel teased. "Who's a mazoku? I'm not a..."

"SHUT UP!" Valentina snapped. "Don't play dumb with me"

"Well you're certainly a crabby person"

"I can be if you want!"

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"Don't test my patience, damn you!"

"I'm sorry" Xel retorted. "I thought I was already doing that"

Valentina fumed at the mazoku, but she wisely kept her anger in check.

"Since you're new" she went on. "Lets get one thing sorted. There there's only one rule here: No one is greater than me."

"Really?" Xelloss replied in mocking tones.

"Yes really" the woman said. "You have just arrived but already my lord Thyruss seems to be quite in awe of your powers as a mazoku. So I'm telling you now to back off. No one but no one gets in between myself and my beloved. Got it?"

"Now what have we here?' Xel mocked. "I think Thyruss' mistress may be somewhat jealous!"

"Don't speak like that you lapdog!"

Upon hearing this, the Trickster Priest opened his eyes. He certainly was surprised by Valentina's sudden comeback. Being dubbed a 'lapdog' ignited a blaze fury of within him – But in this case, he refused to let his emotions get the better of him. After all, this alliance with Thyruss was all a sham – If she had been talking about Zelas, Valentina would be dead in a manner of seconds.

"So tell me" he said, his voice now soft and dangerous. "What makes you think I really care about Thyruss?"

"What?!"

"I'm only here to help you in overthrowing the Saillune ruling house - Nothing more."

"I would like to believe that" Valentina snarled. "But somehow the prospect of having a mazoku joining us seems just a little too good to be true."

"Oh come now" Xelloss reasoned. "Stranger things have happened"

"Perhaps in your lifetime but not in mine"

"Then may I suggest that you get out more?" the Trickster Priest giggled.

"Just what are you really planning?" Valentina growled.

"That's a secret!" Xelloss grinned, closing one of his eyes in a wink.

Upon hearing this, the woman grabbed the mazoku by his collar and fixed him with a mask of rage.

"If you get in my way" she snapped. "I will have your head on a plate!"

"I would like to see you try" Xel replied his tone of voice a hybrid of a mocking remark and a threat.

"Taunt me while you can, fool……."

"Thanks, don't mind if I do"

"…..Because I will have my eye on you and if you step out of line once I will be ready."

"And you think mere threats like that can frighten me?" Xel scoffed. "You may say you'll be watching me but _who_ will be watching _you_?"

Valentina blinked – but it didn't take her long before her facial expression grew furious.

"You think I'm scared by a mere mazoku?"

"You should be" the Trickster Priest proclaimed, he's voice now more softer and more dangerous than before.

"I'm not just any mazoku..."

And with that, he vanished - leaving Valentina by herself.

Well, she had only just met this newcomer, but already she wasn't liking him.

If anything, Xelloss seemed to be a danger to Thyruss' revolution: He seemed to retain a cool head and a smug attitude no matter what was up against him. There was no use in threatening him because he hardly seemed bothered at all. And his confidence reveals that he must be in possession of some extraordinary power. Furthermore, he seemed to have plans of his own……

It makes her wonder exactly what is going on in that head of his....

But all in all, having a mazoku arrive on one's doorstep eager to help out doesn't happen to anyone. If anything, Xelloss seems to be up to something.

Something that she will find out about.....

* * *

Next Chapter  
Contents  



	6. 5 Encroachment

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy   
Chapter 5  
Encroachment! - An Intruder in the Night!

* * *

Later that evening, Xelloss accompanied Thyruss through the citadel.

"So where are we going?" the mazoku inquired.

"I'm taking you to meet your comrades"

"What?" Xelloss chuckled. "All _seven_ of them?"

Thyruss didn't reply. Instead he cast a hardened gaze over his shoulder.

"I want you on your best behaviour"

"Really?" Xel replied ironically.

"Yes, really" the warlord growled.

Eventually, after some marching, the two came to a door. The warlord then turned to the mazoku.

"You do realise that my mercenaries won't welcome any new additions – particularly those of a mazoku persuasion"

"Meaning?"

"Once beyond this door, you're on your own. If my mercenaries come onto with blades at the ready, don't come crying to me"

"They don't seem the trustworthy type." Xelloss noted, opening his eyes.

"They're only in it for the money" Thyruss grinned. "And they won't appreciate any competition. So watch your back."

"Desperadoes, eh?" Xel said. "What ever possessed you to hire them?"

"They're the real scum of the earth"

_Takes one to know one_ the mazoku thought privately.

"And" Thyruss went on "They are the best they are at what they do"

_Yes, he's desperate_ Xel thought

"In any case" Thyruss said. "Beyond this door lies your time in my charge. This is your last chance to drop out."

Upon hearing this, Xelloss paused. He had only just begun his time affiliated with this numbskull of a megalomaniac but, truth be told, he wasn't enjoying his company. Thyruss seemed so confident of victory that he seemed oblivious to the blindingly obvious dangers that his plans possessed. And his taste in mercenaries seemed downright questionable. Thus, if Thyruss is so convinced that his invasion of Saillune was definite, then he must be incredibly deluded.

But then again, that's why the mazoku found humans so amusing.

In any case, however, Zelas had obviously seen some potential in this lunatic's scheme. Otherwise, Xelloss wouldn't be here.

Ultimatly, if Zelas has a scheme in mind then chances are, it would eventually be worth it.

Besides, if Xelloss is here then there isn't any reason to have some fun. And if Thyruss' plan is doomed, then the least Xel could do was push it in the right direction.

And then it would be extremely amusing.

The Trickster closed his eyes and nodded his consent

* * *

Thyruss and Xelloss entered the room that lay on the other side of the door.

The mazoku recognised the room as the same study that he'd met the warlord earlier that evening. Only now, there was someone else present.

It was a woman – the same woman that Xelloss recognised as Valentina. She smiled warmly at Thyruss as he approached and strode towards him. She greeted the warlord with a gentle palm on his chin followed by a gentle kiss full on the lips.

Eventually, Thyruss broke of the kiss and smiled at the woman.

"Valentina" he said softly.

"My lord" the woman replied.

"I see you've brought the mazoku with you" she went on, casting a hardened gaze at Xelloss.

"Naturally, he's one of us" the warlord replied.

But had the warlord turned his head, he would've noticed the slightest of chuckles escape from Xel's mouth._ One of us?_ the mazoku thought. _Oh if only this fool Thyruss knew...._

"I see" Valentina said.

Xelloss opened his eyes. He had no difficulty picking up the essence of contempt that resided in Valentina's speech. Yes, already she didn't like him. Normally, such a thing wouldn't have bothered Xelloss but she may be a possible obstacle in his plans.   
If she truly does suspect something then she must dealt with accordingly....

"Anyway" she went on. "The others should be here soon. Both of them"

Xelloss blinked at Thyruss. "Both?"

The warlord hesitated with his answer - as if he was uncertain how to answer the question.

"I have two agents in Saillune at the present time" he said. "Consequently, there are only two of my men left to defend my citadel!"

Xelloss didn't reply. Instead he was contemplating on what he had gotten himself into. Does this guy have any idea as to exactly HOW much planning is required to have a revolution?!! If he was planning to overthrow the Saillune ruling house with such a small group of warriors, then he is certainly going to have a tough time doing so. Yes, Xelloss had seen the effects of Alchemy and whilst Thyruss and Valentina were taking the science one step further, it certainly showed potential. But, his two new allies were turning it into an entirely new form of magic. And such a virgin breed of magic was just that - a young breed. Thus, the Trickster Priest had his doubts. Besides, if experience taught him anything, many people have tried to discover new ways of doing things but usually they ended up victims of their own machinations.

Just then Xelloss' thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a pair of newcomers to the room.

One was a man. He was lean of stature and certainly had the appearance of a veteran warrior. The man sported an enormous moustache and a head that was shaved bald apart from a top-knot. He wore only a pair of black trousers, leaving his bare-chest exposed for all to see the amount of scars he had acquired over countless battles. But most impressive of all was the amount of weapons that dangled from the man's belt. There were an impressive collection of blades, knives, daggers and other silent weapons - all of which screamed out as the tools of an assassin.

The other was another woman. But, in Xelloss' mind she looked more battle-hardened than Valentina. This woman had arms that pulsed with strength and might. She also dressed in an impressive breastplate with knee-high boots and a shortened skirt. The woman's blonde hair was cut short - to her ears - and whilst her face was truly feminine, it also showed signs of seeing many battles - mixed with high intelligence.

The two warriors stood to attention before Thyruss. But Xelloss could feel their gaze prying upon him.

"Sir!" the man said. "We've come on your command!"

"Indeed" Thyruss answered. "I want you to meet our latest recruit."

"And I assume it is him?" the woman inquired nodding in Xelloss' direction.

The warlord nodded and turned to the mazoku.

"Xelloss?" he said, indicating towards the man. "This is Innokenti. He's under my charge as an assassin, ready to remove any obstacles at my command."

The mazoku nodded but remained silent. He could feel the assassin's gaze upon him - indeed, the man looked like the type whom will gladly slit a throat for two copper pieces. Truly this assassin had the appearance to match his deadly trade.....

He didn't seem the type that one would want to mess with – and if anything, Xelloss could feel the assassin's contempt burning from his eyes.

"And this" Thyruss went on, indicating towards the woman. "Is Anastacia."

"Pleasure" the woman answered. But even then Xelloss could feel her voice full with abhorrence for the newcomer.

"Now" the warlord said, addressing his underlings, "Xelloss has offered us new information on the events within Saillune if we allow him in our ranks. I have decided his words worthwhile enough to accept his offer"

"Really?" Innokenti growled - it was fairly obvious that he wasn't liking the mazoku even though they've just met.

"And how does this information help us?" Anastacia demanded, her voice rich in sarcasm.

Xelloss cleared his throat. "Right now, even as we speak....."

"Cut to the chase!" Innokenti snapped, cutting off Xelloss completely.

Xelloss twitched, resisting the temptation to break the assassin's neck. Nevertheless, he opened his eyes and delivered his information in a rather definite manner:

"Lina Inverse is in Saillune"

Immediately, the two mercenaries were swept up in a tsunami of panic! Upon hearing the name of the infamous bandit killer, Innotenti's threatening composure fell away entirely! Anastacia's knees began knocking and her hands began shaking! Even Valentina paled.

Thyruss however, blinked in disbelief whilst Xelloss shielded his eyes with his palm.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!?!?!" Innokenti shouted, his voice frightened and his expression frantic.

Anastacia meanwhile shouted at Thyruss: "YOU EXPECT ME TO GO UP AGAINST THAT DESTRUCTIVE BITCH?!?!!?"

The warlord raised an eyebrow. "I take it you've heard of Lina?"

"AND YOU HAVEN'T?!!??" shouted everyone - including Xelloss and Valentina.

"Enough of this!" the warlord boomed, in an attempt to restore order.

Upon hearing the loud, commanding voice of their leader, everyone fell silent.

"Innokenti?" Thyruss snapped. "I want you to go to Saillune and get rid of this.....Lina"

"You're kidding right?" came the reply.

"Oh come on" the warlord snapped, who was now getting quite annoyed. "Why should this Lina be a threat to you, the man whom has killed so many?"

"You sure you haven't heard of Lina?" the assassin demanded. "You don't get out much do you?"

"I have heard of Lina okay?!" Thyruss snarled, irritably. "I have heard of the stories and I am well aware of how destructive she can get. But in any case, she is just another obstacle and any obstacle can be removed if dealt with appropriately!"

"You're asking too much!" Innokenti retorted.

"You dare argue with my judgement?" the warlord shot back. "I've seen the words on the Dark Stone! They are to key to victory! As long as they remain on that stone, nothing can stand in our way!"

Upon hearing this, Xelloss raised an eyebrow. Words? Upon a Dark Stone? This was beginning to get interesting......

"You believe that?!" Anastacia exclaimed.

"Absolutely!" Thyruss snapped. "Those words proclaim destiny! And such a thing can not be argued with!"

"So glad you think so" Innokenti murmured, his scepticism as bright as day.

Xel remained silent - but he is intrigued by the mention of this Dark Stone - It seems he would have to conduct some investigating......

"But in any case" Anastacia said. "I agree with Innokenti - Dark Stone or no Dark Stone. If you send us to kill to Lina then you're sending us to our doom!"

"Listen to me!" Thyruss roared. "Just do what I say! Without question!"

"You're not listening to us aren't you?" Innokenti snapped back.

Xelloss sighed and turned away. Exactly what has he gotten himself in for?!?

* * *

As the grip of night further tightened, the moon climbed into the darkened sky to shine it's light onto the city of Saillune. The rays of moonlight blazed their way onto the palace at the heart of the city, illuminating the massive construction in magnificent light.

The palace had been a hive of activity and noise mere hours ago. But now, all noise and light had died down. Philionel's banquet had come to an end and the palace was retreating back into something that resembled normality. All the residents in the building had all retired for the night and lost themselves in the comfort of slumber.

And considering all in the palace were asleep, none could see or hear any activity that occurred outside.

Consequently, no could challenge the black shape as it scaled its way up the palace walls.

With a dagger in each hand and utilising the light of the moon, the assassin Innokenti made his way up the wall of the palace.

Perspiration dripped down from his forehead. But still he carried on. Being so far up this wall, he had no intention of turning back. He had come so far and wasn't prepared to give this latest mission for anyone or anything. His master wanted the head of Lina Inverse and that's exactly what he'll get!

As the assassin climbed further and further up the wall, more perspiration dripped from Innotenti's forehead and onto his bare chest. He blinked. What was going on here? This wasn't like him at all! It wasn't usual for him to feel so uncertain prior to a mission. What was happening to him? Was it the fact that he was positioned at such a mind-boggling height? Or was it the fact that he was ordered to kill Lina Inverse? The infamous, bad-tempered, bandit-killer, mazoku-slayer, with an enormous appetite....?

Now the assassin could feel his hands growing sweaty.....

This was perhaps the first time he had ever felt nervous before an assassination. It was a strange occurrence: he had slain many unfortunates that stood in his way - countless times before. But he never cared much for names. They were all some useless sods that, ultimately, provided him with money promised by various employers.

However, this time the name mattered. He was facing a foe of immeasurable power and fearsome reputation. An adversary that would put his skills as an assassin to the ultimate test. An enemy who had seen the world and slain so many opponents in various shapes and forms – thus why should a professional assassin pose as that big a problem?

But it didn't take him long to grit his teeth in determination. Now was not the time to procrastinate. He had a job to do.

Even if the job in question could probably kill him....

But if he succeeded, then he could truly be a Prince of Assassins.....

And such a prospect spurred Innokenti on.

The pay that Thyruss is promising him had better be worth it!

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the clock struck in a series of loud bongs.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow in a curious manner. Twelve o'clock? Midnight.

The chimera sat in a wonderfully furnished lounge room. The room was made from wooden panels with framing royal blue squares. The carpet and curtains were also royal blue - made to match the panelling. In the terms of furniture, there was a complete lounge suite, a table and a roaring fireplace. At one end of the room, at Zelgadis' right, there was a series of four doors. One was situated in the north wall and led outside into the depths of the palace. The other three were arranged, in the eastern wall, in a row.

Zel relaxed back in his chair basking in front of the glow and the warmth of the roaring fire. It had been less than an hour since the banquet with Philionel and now everyone had retired to their separate pursuits. Lina and Gourry were still at the dinner table polishing off some leftovers whilst Sylphiel and Aldebrand had already gone to bed, in this guest quarter of the Saillune palace. Between the five adventurers (Amelia and Naga had their own rooms in the main body of the palace), there were three rooms linked by this lounge room. Zel and Gourry agreed to share one room whilst Lina and Sylphiel took another. This left Aldebrand with a room to his self - perhaps due to the fact that Zel, Lina and Gourry still maintained their suspicions about him.

Zelgadis remained silent as the thought of Sylphiel's newfound friend crossed his mind. Who was this Aldebrand? If anything, his hardened-appearance practically screamed out the definite possibility of him being a warrior. He also retained a grim aura - marking him as not being the trustworthy type. He didn't seem comfortable around anyone. Anyone, that is, but Sylphiel.  
Indeed, this is what Zel found most perplexing about Aldebrand, is that ever since he had dropped into their lives, his presence had worked changes onto Syl. Previously, her magic skills were somewhat awkward, her reactions to dire situations were questionable and she was blinded by her hero-worship of Gourry. But now.....now she seems to have taken quite a shine to Aldebrand. But why? To Zel, Sylphiel seemed more so the gentle type - so why the hell would she start hanging around someone who no one else wanted to be near someone with such a grim disposition?

If anything, Aldebrand seems to have something to hide. And all the more reason for Zel to be suspicious.

The chimera chuckled to himself. If he didn't hang around people with questionable motives and an equally ambiguous past, then he wouldn't be hanging around anyone at all!

Just then the chimera's thoughts were interrupted. For into the room strode Lina and Gourry, making as much noise to wake the whole palace. They were both still in their dinner clothes and they were looking well fed.

"Man, am I stuffed!" Lina was saying.

"No kidding?" Gourry replied.

"Man, these rich folk certainly know how to live!"

"Well, maybe you should be thankful that your friend Naga is going to succeed Phil, eh?"

To this, Lina spluttered. She immediately turned to Gourry with a ferocious glare.

"Gourry? Two things: Firstly, Naga isn't my friend! Secondly, she couldn't rule her way out of a paper bag, let alone a kingdom!"

Just then, Lina noticed Zel in his chair and keeping an interested eye on the altercation. Immediately, her expression changed, into one more cheerful.

"Hey Zel!" she grinned.

"Good evening Lina, Gourry" the chimera answered softly, as he got out of his chair. "Finished up all those leftovers hrmm?"

"Ah, yes!" Lina chuckled. "Can't leave them lying around now, can't we?"

"Good" Zel replied, now standing right in front of his friends. "Because there's something I would like to discuss with you both. Urgently."

Lina and Gourry exchanged glances before nodding.

Zelgadis' eyes quickly darted around, before he lowered his voice: "I assume that I'm not the only one's whom are suspicious of Aldebrand."

Upon hearing the name of the enigmatic newcomer, Lina frowned.

"Why's that?" Gourry inquired. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy to me!"

Of course, this reply only got answered with simultaneous groans from both the sorceress and the chimera.

"Oh come on!" the swordsman said. "Ever since he has shown up, I have never seen Sylphiel happier!"

"That's what I'm worried about" Zel replied grimly.

"I don't know what you're getting so upset about" Gourry said. "I like him!"

"All the same, I reckon she should be on our guard" the chimera replied.

"No way!" the swordsman retorted. "You're just being paranoid!"

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you!"

"Look Zel, I like him, Naga likes him and Amelia likes him! You should lighten up before you find yourself short on friends!"

"Guys, guys!" Lina interjected, sensing an argument mere seconds away. "Break it up!"

Both the guys turned to the sorceress as she moved to stand between them.

"Listen to me both of you" she said. "I don't trust Aldebrand any more than you Zel, and I have my reasons to be suspicious. And I'm still uncertain as to what to make of him.

"However" she went on, "Considering we've only just me him, I need convincing that he may be a good person. Therefore I am prepared to give him a chance"

"You have a too easy judge of character Lina" Zelgadis snorted.

"Let me put it this way Zelly boy" Lina said, fixing the chimera in a steely gaze. "If I didn't, I would've already toasted you already over that incident with the Orihalcon"

Zel sighed in defeat before nodding.

Satisfied with this answer, Lina grinned.

"Anyway" she said. "I'm going to bed! G'night!"

"Good night Lina" the chimera answered.

Lina then turned and headed into her room leaving Zel with Gourry.

"Yeah" the swordsman said. "I think I might go to bed too! Goodnight Zel!"

"Goodnight Gourry" the chimera replied before turning around and heading back to his armchair.   
But before he got there, he heard a loud and very angry voice:

"GOURRY! This isn't you room! Yours is NEXT DOOR!"

"Okay Okay! Geez...."

Zel eased back into his chair as he heard the sound of footsteps followed by the sound of a door closing.   
The chimera chuckled at the thought of Gourry, walking in on Lina like that.  
Still, it shouldn't be long before he himself retires for the night as well....

A few minutes passed.....

....Before Zel picked up the sound of the door opening and closing.  
Followed by the sound of footsteps entering the room.

Zelgadis raised his head to cast a watchful, vigilant eye on the intruder.  
And there was Amelia, still in her dinner clothes and fixing the chimera in a rather concerned gaze.

"Hi there!" she grinned. "Still awake are you?"

"I could ask you the same question" the chimera replied. "Shouldn't you be in your own quarters right now?"

Amelia let out a soft chuckle before adopting a serious expression. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

Zel raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Regardless, the princess strode towards him.

"And from the looks of it." she added. "You look like you could do with some company."

Gently, she lowered herself into the chair and onto the chimera's lap. Then she lowered her head until it was resting on Zelgadis' chest.   
She sighed happily and closed her eyes, taking in his presence, his warmth and his breathing pattern.

Zel didn't make kind of protest whatsoever

Slowly the chimera wrapped his arms around the princess to establish, and seal, a tender embrace.  
And for a while, silence hung between the two. Not that it mattered: both were enjoying every second of this intimate moment and the pleasure of each others company.

"Amelia?" Zel asked. "What do you think of your father appointing Gracia as the next in line to rulership of Saillune?"

The princess opened her eyes to face the chimera.

"I'm so happy for them both" she smiled. "It's great to know my father has appointed a successor and Gracia is looking forward to a marvellous future."

"She didn't seem too happy about the news though"

Amelia giggled.

"Ah well……..

"Still I have faith in Garcia" she said. "And I know she isn't one to back down from a challenge!"

"Just glad it isn't you huh?"

The princess sighed. "True"

"Well looks like you won't be ascending to the throne after all"

"Yes" Amelia argued. "But the position of ruler of Saillune isn't a safe one"

"And should anything happen to Gracia, you would be expected to take up the throne in her absence right?" Zel finished.

"Exactly"

"You think that might happen?"

"Of course not!" Amelia grinned. "I know that Gracia is a powerful warrior! She won't take any challenge lying down! In fact, I feel sorry for any assassin who thinks they might be able to take her on!"

"So do I" the chimera replied dryly.

"But anyway" he went on, "You still think the idea of becoming Crown Princess of Saillune is still feasible?

"Yes" Amelia said softly.

But then she chuckled. "I know that if I do eventually ascend to the throne, I would want a chimera by my side."

And with that she reached up and planted a kiss on Zelgadis' cheek. Then she lowered her head and resumed her intimate position in the chimera's arms.

Zel blinked. _A chimera by her side?_ A princess like herself? He wasn't liking the sounds of this.

* * *

Innokenti slowly crept along his way. Already his mind was worried. He had no idea what he was looking for, the whereabouts in the palace his target was residing in and whether they would be asleep. Indeed, knowing Lina Inverse, the best time would be to strike when she would be at her least alert.

But the search wasn't going so well so far. The assassin had scaled every square inch of this colossal wall, casting his gaze into every window that resided in his path. But so far, none of these windows gave him what he was looking for....

He cast a lazy eye into yet another window.....

.....when he suddenly stopped.

There, illuminated by the light of the moon, were two humans.....

....well they both looked human. One was definitely human but the other was something else...

But what did it matter? These two were in a position of weakness. They were both residing in a comfortable-looking armchair in each other's arms.

Innokenti grinned evilly. This was just perfect. If he acted now, they wouldn't know what hit them or how to react to it.....

* * *

Suddenly, Amelia raised her head. Her expression was somewhat anxious and her eyes and ears alert.

Zel blinked. "Amelia?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Did you hear something?"

Suddenly, no sooner then a split second since those words escaped the princess' lips, the window shattered with a tremendous crash! As a rush of night breezed into the window, something else came into the room. Something that was heavy and full of murderous intent. It was this something that thudded into the chair and knocked it off its feet.

With a cry of alarm, the chimera and the princess fell out of the chair only to land on the floor on top of each other! The chair came down upon them, thus providing a makeshift shield.

"What the hell was that?!" Amelia said, bewildered by this suddenly chain of events.

Before Zel could answer, a long blade suddenly burst through the cushions of the armchair, barely missing the two prisoners.

Both blinked in a startled manner before Zel, with a roar, kicked the armchair off himself and Amelia. The chair went airborne and into something solid. A muffled shout emerged from behind the chair before it came crashing down onto the floor.

Zel got to his feet and answered Amelia's question.

"An assassin I believe"

"I see" The princess sighed. "I guess that's what happens when the title of Crown Prince is a highly sought after position."

"But then again" Zel noted. "You've survived numerous attacks from many assassins. Why should this time be any different?"

"You're right" Amelia grinned. She got to her feet as the chimera drew his sword.

Suddenly, a series of quick sword movements emerged from behind the chair. Immediately afterwards, the chair exploded! A cloud of stuffing and fabric filled the room, providing obstacles for any fighting environment.

It was the perfect cover for a sudden attack......

And an attack did come! The assassin burst out from the remains of the armchair and charged at Zelgadis with his blade directly aimed at the chimera!

Zel grit his teeth and weld his sword to counter the assassin's blade. The two swords clashed with a loud clang and locked the two combatants in a stand-off. It was here that Zel got his first good look at his attacker. His face was of cruel features and he sported a black moustache and a top-knot set upon a shaved head. He was in black trousers and sported a bare chest which boasted an impressive array of scars. And, most striking of all, he had a belt loaded with a deadly selection of various blades.

The stand-off continued - until the assassin quickly lowered his left hand and pulled out a small dagger. And it was this dagger that he plunged into Zelgadis' stomach!

But the dagger never reached its intended target. No amount of sharpness or power behind the dagger could make it penetrate the chimera's stone stomach.

The assassin blinked at this unexpected obstacle. Sensing a drop in guard, Zel lunged his sword at his attacker, only to have him leap out of harms way.

Raising his eyebrow, Innokenti caught sight of the princess whom was perplexed by the cloud of the chair's remains and dazzled by the swordplay before her. The assassin grinned as he launched his dagger at the hapless princess.

"AMELIA!" Zel shouted. In a blaze of unnatural speed, he sprinted into the flight path of the dagger. Then, he reached out his hand and caught the dagger - as it was mere inches away from the princess' face.

Innokenti blinked before leaping up into the air.

"Z-Z-Z-Z-Zelgadis?" Amelia stammered, the dagger leaving her in a state of shock.

Zelgadis looked up at the darkened ceiling - it was the only place in the room that the moon's light didn't touch. Therefore, it was the perfect hiding place.

Growling in a frustrated manner, the chimera grasped his newly-acquired dagger and threw it, randomly, into the darkened shadows of the ceiling. A dull thud of a dagger hitting a wooden beam was the only reply he got.

Just then, a soft growling voice emerged from the shadows of the ceiling.

"You" the voice said. "You don't seem bothered about grasping a blade with you bare hands"

Zel paused, trying to detect the source of the noise.

He turned to Amelia before nodding upwards and motioned for her to _keep him talking._

The princess blinked. What could she say? This sudden intrusion and the urgency of the situation had left her mind blank.

"He's a chimera!" Amelia spluttered, without thinking.

Upon hearing this, Zel's eyes widened in both alarm and annoyance. Regardless, Amelia continued.

"He's got skin of stone! You have no chance of defeating him!"

"Is that so?" the voice replied, now in a sneering manner. "Perhaps I should be careful. I mean, it would be shame if THIS happened!"

Suddenly, the assassin dropped in from above and landed right behind Amelia. Then, before anyone could stop him, he grabbed Amelia in a headlock and directed a knife at her throat.

Innokenti grinned triumphantly as Zelgadis' face hardened.

"Drop your sword!" the assassin demanded.

"I think not" Zel replied with complete and utter confidence.

"DROP IT!" Innokenti thundered. "Or it's your girlfriends blood that's gonna be spilt!"

The chimera raised an eyebrow.

"Would you dare do that to a Champion of Justice?" he said with a wink.

Amelia caught the signal. Then, in a burst of courage and movement, she brought her foot down on the assassin's own. Innokenti yelped in pain - before he found Amelia grabbing onto his headlock. Seconds later, the assassin then found himself being grasped in a massive over head throw!

The Princess sent the assassin down onto the floor with a terrific crash. But the princess wasn't finished with him yet! Still grasping on his arms, Amelia, utilising all the strength that the power of Justice could provide, immediately threw Innokenti across the room and into the wall!

The assassin hit the wall with a horrendous crash and slid down onto the floor. Innokenti groaned with pain - until a huge foot came crashing down onto his chest!

He looked up to see a big man with a shock of blond hair gazing down at him in an inquisitive manner.

"Aha!" the man said. "I thought I heard something!"

The assassin growled from his prostrate position.

"Gourry, look out!" Zel warned. "That man is dangerous!"

"He is?" the swordsman replied diminutively.

"That guy is an assassin!" Amelia yelled urgently.

And to prove this point, Innokenti drove his feet upwards to knock Gourry in the crotch and off his feet. The swordsman went down with a thud.

The assassin then pulled yet another blade from his belt and leapt onto the swordsman....

Suddenly a pair of arms emerged from the darkness and pulled Innokenti back from his attack path.

Gourry, Amelia and Zel blinked at who held the squirming assassin in check.

"Did I miss anything here?" Aldebrand inquired.

Innokenti blinked. That voice.....

Both the assassin and Aldebrand caught sight of each other - much to their bewilderment!

"Aldebrand!" Innokenti gasped.

"You!"

Thinking quickly, Zel raced over to a particular door and threw it open.

"Aldebrand!" he yelled. "Throw him in here!"

"Huh?" the mercenary inquired.

"Don't think about it, do it!" Amelia said.

Shrugging his shoulders, the mercenary threw the assassin into the darkened room. Immediately, Zel closed the door and threw his weight up against it.

Seconds later......

"FIREBALL!"

Instantaneously, the room shook from a massive explosion

Aldebrand blinked in astonishment

"What on earth was that?"

"That would be Lina" Amelia chuckled. "At her temperamental best!"

And to prove the point, Zel stepped back from the door and opened it.....  
...To reveal Innokenti looking well and truly fried. The assassin stumbled in a daze before falling onto the floor.

Lina followed soon after, looking rather tired and therefore grouchy.

"What the hell was that?" she growled.

"Obviously a professional assassin" Gourry replied.

"Wow Gourry, you can work that out?" Amelia asked

"Who else would look like that? And carry so many blades?"

"Got a point there"

"But if that guy is an assassin then someone wants us dead." Zel said. "I want to know who..."

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!" Lina yelled. "Right now, I'm too tired to think. Lets just go to bed and discuss in the morning."

Gourry and Aldebrand nodded before all three retired to their respective rooms - This leaving Zelgadis with Amelia.

The chimera exchanged glances with the princess.

"Are you all right?" he inquired

"I feel a bit....shocked at that assassin....but...."

"Listen" Zel said gently. "Do you want to stay the rest of night here with me?"

Amelia blinked at this offer - before smiling the warmest of smiles and nodding.

"I will do that Zel" she said. "Oh and more thing...."

"Yes?"

She didn't reply. Instead she reached up and planted another kiss - this time on his lips.  
She then withdrew them and grinned at the chimera.

"That's for saving me"

* * *

Next Chapter  
Contents  



	7. 6 Fiasco

The Dark Stone Prophecy The Dark Stone Prophecy  
Chapter 6  
Fiasco! - Naga attempts Diplomacy!

* * *

**Author's Interlude:**

Before anything else I feel I should apologise. Apologise for the fact that this chapter has been a long time coming.   
But the thing is, this fic is turning out to be a much difficult task than I first believed. Thus, it has not been easy in trying to knock out this chapter. Thus, this latest instalment may come across as being quite slow. But this chapter exists to add some depth and characterisation.

So, after a month's wait, this may come out as a disappointment but rest assured that the next chapter will be more action-based. I swear!

In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and bear in mind how difficult it was for me, the author to write it.

* * *

And then what happened?

It seems I've carved myself an attentive audience. An audience that won't let me go until I've finished this story good and proper.

I've certainly put my foot in it now.....

Ha! Just kidding! If my willing audience is eager for more then more you all shall have!

It's just as well that I have such undivided attention. Stories last a lifetime and will only die if no one is around to pass them on to future generations. So I hope you're listening carefully so you can pass this story on to your children.

If you do have children that is.

Ha! Gotcha again!

But then again, perhaps it is best that I do pass this story onto you all for my memory is fading day by day. And I would like to recount these events of Saillune whilst I can still recall them.

No matter how horrific those events were.

Yes, not all stories have happy endings. But even they must be told so the unfortunate pitfalls described can never be repeated.

And yes there are happy endings but they don't come without a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

After all, life wasn't meant to be easy.....

Nevertheless, all the players had gathered in Saillune. Players that would shape the city's destiny forever. The evil warlord Thyruss was slowly and cleverly utilising his plan to overthrow Crown Prince Philionel. In his way stood five obstacles: Amelia, Naga, Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis. Five unwitting but still quite dangerous obstacles. But Thyruss was one step ahead of the game: his spies were everywhere, watching everything and letting nothing escape their vigilant gaze. Plus, he had the Trickster Priest, Xelloss Metallium, in an alliance. But little did he know, the mazoku had plans of his own......

What was about to happen was going to rock the foundations of the Saillune government and leave no one of the players untouched - not even the newly discovered romantics of Sylphiel and Aldebrand.

But at the present time, Philionel wasn't worried about any kind of threat to his kingdom.

Instead, he had other things, of greater importance, to be concerned about…..

However, at that moment at Thyruss' citadel, a certain mind was rattling along with schemes most insidious………

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, as the first rays of sunshine came creeping over the horizon, Xelloss Metallium strode out of Thyruss' fortress. He strode out into the cold early morning air, heading for the stone circle.

Thyruss had told him about this place the night before. He described it as a flat circle of grass where a group of stone obelisks stand. The warlord also said it was the place where he found the prophecy.

Slowly the mazoku made his way to his destination, his senses on the alert, waiting for any signs of any one following him. Even though no one was awake in this early stage of the day, he couldn't really afford to take any chances.

Indeed, Xelloss simply couldn't allow having his allies catch on to his true intentions.

But the truth is Xel wanted some answers. There was something about Thyruss' overblown confidence that made the Trickster Priest curious. Thus, if the warlord was so sure of himself then Xelloss had to see the source of the warlord's confidence with his own eyes.

However, it was the mention of the word 'prophecy' that had Xelloss intrigued. Centuries of experience told him that prophecy is a dangerous word. Prophecies were the words of deities – spoken through disciples referred to as 'Oracles'. People will always come from miles to hear the words of Oracles to find out what destiny has in store for them.

At the thought of this, the Trickster Priest allowed himself an amused grin. He never believed in that nonsense – He always saw the people who paid Oracles were those who were too lazy to make their own destiny - and thus relied on their gods to build one for them.

But then again, seeing one's plans come apart in the name of prophecy is always amusing……

Eventually, Xelloss arrived to his destination: A flat surface upon the mountain which was filled up with green grass. It was within this circle that stood a group of seven obelisks of uneven size and arranged in a circular fashion.

But even Xel could see that this was an unnatural formation: All the rock from the mountain was confined to the outside of the circle and was nowhere in amongst the blades of grass. Plus the obelisks were made from an unusual black stone – the type that the mazoku had never seen before.

Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, the Trickster Priest immediately advanced to the great stone obelisk that stood at the head of the circle. This is what he had come to see. This was the one thing that made Thyruss convinced of certain victory.

Xelloss knelt down to examine the dark stone. This must be the Dark Stone that Thyruss also mentioned last night……

Henceforth, if this rock was of such importance, then it would explain why the warlord thought victory was within easy reach. Opening his eyes, Xelloss searched for a clue, a sign that would explain Thyruss' confidence. And hopefully reveal what he was truly up to.

It didn't take him long to find such answers.

There, craved into the face of the obelisk, was a set of words. Words that looked like they had been carved there from a long-forgotten age:

_And the day will come  
When fire shall rain from the skies  
A powerful, unstoppable force shall come  
And the thirst for revenge shall rise  
The age of the weak would then be done  
And their deluded followers shall be swept away along with their lies_

The Trickster Priest stepped back, fascinated by what he had just read.

It was plain to see that Thyruss was taking this prophecy quite seriously. But what were these words trying to describe? The fall of Saillune? Or some other sinister event?

Having roamed this earth for well over a thousand years, Xelloss had certainly had his fair share of prophecies. Indeed, they all came true no matter what. Whether it be through acts of accident or intention, no one could escape the fate that destiny had prepared them. No matter how ambiguous prophecies may seem, they are something truly not to be taken lightly.

So was it inevitable that Saillune must collapse? Thyruss seems quite obsessed with razing it to the ground.

The only question is _why_…..

Xel sighed, before getting to his feet. Thyruss obviously has a lot of faith in that prophecy so he must be anticipating something extraordinary. And as result, Xelloss must be on his guard.

He may have some answers but not all his questions have been answered yet...

Besides, he must be getting back now. He must get back before anyone suspects his absence.

And then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

But little did he know that he was being watched the whole time.

From a well concealed position in the rocks, Anastacia watched the mazoku with an intrigued eye. This was interesting………….

He appears to be up to something…..

* * *

Elsewhere the first rays of sunlight made their way into the city of Saillune. They came to touch the various buildings that made up the city and to announce the beginning of a new day. Throughout the city, the people of Saillune were yawning, stretching and leaving their houses to attend to the jobs and activities that demanded completion.

However, one soul in particular wasn't really greeting the day with enthusiasm.

High above the city, in the palace, a certain sorceress sensed the arrival of the sunshine - but she wasn't really handling it in a receptive manner,

"Urrrghhhhhh….."

Naga the Serpent grumbled her frustration. It was morning already and here she was suffering from the mother of all hangovers. Her head felt like it had been trampled on by a herd of wild horses.

No, not wild horses – More like being pounded by a legion of blacksmiths and their hammers!

Slowly, the sorceress opened her eyes – to a field of blurry objects. However, it didn't take long before her vision began establishing shapes.

"Huhhhhhhh?" Naga murmured, her speech slurred. "What the hell…….?"

The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on a bed in a room that she (although vaguely) recognised as being part of the Saillune palace.

She rolled over and noticed the sunlight come streaming in through the window. This prompted the sorceress to screw up her eyes in disgust.

"Who the hell left those curtains open…..?"

It didn't, however, take her long to work out who did…

"Oh yeah" she mumbled. "I forget to close them after last night….."

But it was at this thought that Naga paused. Exactly what happened last night? Considering her current state, she must have had a wild time. Yet, her mind wasn't really functioning well at this point in time. Thus fragments of events and memories came drifting in and out of her mind. None of them really made any sense however and only confused Naga's mind even more.

But as her senses came into gear, she picked up on something – an awful stench! It reeked out from underneath her nose and invaded her mind – which wasn't in the state of welcoming any sudden interruptions whatsoever.

The smell certainly wasn't a pleasant one – it was a mixture of wine and gravy.

Then it hit her.

She was still wearing her dining gown from last night – meaning, what happened last night was anything but dull.

The sorceress slowly raised her hand and gently nursed her head with the palm of her hand. What the hell happened last night? All she could recollect in her mind was a mess of scrambled images – mostly involving food, wine, father, wine, laughter, wine, being dragged to her room by Amelia, wine, throwing up, wine, and yet more wine.

Gradually however, pieces of memories slowly came to light. Each came after the other and helped the sorceress reconstruct an image of what happened last night.

She was attending a dinner - It was to celebrate her homecoming to Saillune – as well as giving Daddy an opportune moment to announce her as his successor.

Man, the wine she drunk was certainly a strong vintage…..

Suddenly it was the thought of succession that hit her hard: Being the eldest of the Saillune offspring, it was her duty to succeed her father.

Naga frowned and got off her bed. She then headed over to the window and stared out at the morning sun.

The principality of Saillune stretched out before her. It certainly was an extraordinary sight to see the how large a kingdom it was – And there were strong signs that the kingdom was prosperous and self-sufficient.

Taking up the reigns of command for a place like this certainly seemed like a good deal. So why wasn't Naga falling head over heels at such a prospect?

Truth be told, being in such a position of command meant one thing:

Responsibly

The sorceress blinked. Such a nasty word that. And it was for this reason that she usually kept all thoughts of it in the dark recesses of her mind. She never really found the concept at all that appealing – primarily because such a concept was built upon a foundation of restriction.

Ever since the untimely murder of her mother, Naga fled her home city and took up a life on the road ever since. Although it's not the best way to live a life, it certainly made for one that was attractive and exciting: Opportunities to see the world, No one to tell her what to do and doing what she wants in the way she feels is best. Better still, as she was always moving, no one could really place any blame or responsibility upon her shoulders. This is what attracted her travelling companion Lina Inverse and eventuated into many adventures (even if Lina wasn't the most agreeable of company).

Thus, whilst the prospect of succeeding Philionel was tempting enough, it also meant giving up the life she had grown to love. This means no more wanderings, beating up bandits, gorging her way through one restaurant after another and blowing up various buildings that were stupid enough to stand in her way.

In way, Naga kind of envied Lina: The redhead was free to live her own life the way she chose and didn't have to worry about what anyone else thought. She could carry on the adventurous life she's always led and not have anyone criticise her or try to persuade her to change. Better still, she had a constant companion in Gourry Gabriev who shared the same interests.

But still, being shouldered with responsibility is hardly an appealing prospect. She would now be required to make decisions on the kingdom, look after the people who call Saillune home and become a paragon of goodness and purity.

And Naga has never _ever_ once fulfilled such criteria.

Naga sighed and turned away from the window. She then began pacing her way, in a circular fashion, across the floor of the room.

(Well – not exactly pacing, more like stumbling in a disorientated manner)

What made the situation even more absurd was that this topic was brought up just when she had arrived back at Saillune for the first time in years. In the space of under twenty hours, Naga had been reunited with her father, whom she hadn't seen in so long, AND been announced as his successor. If anything, Daddy was moving things along too quickly……..

And anyone think that finding a successor would be more important than recovering a long-lost daughter.

Naga paused in her contemplation and her face hardened…..

….When suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

The sorceress blinked, now broken out of her reverie.

"Yes?" she said, her speech slurred from the events last night

"Your highness?" a voice said from the other side of the door. "Crown Prince Philionel asks for your presence in the drawing room. He has some business to discuss. Please dress appropriately."

"Sure" the sorceress replied. "I'll be there shortly"

"Very good milady"

Naga heard the sound of the servant's feet heading off down the hallway. Once she was convinced he was gone, she sighed heavily.

She didn't like the sound of this. Business? This sounds out of her league. If anything, it sounds as if Phil as something planned…..

But no matter: Ultimately, she is, at the present time, being dragged into something against her will. If anything, she must put her foot down. If Daddy has plans for her then she must voice her disgust for such an idea. Even though there is the strong chance that he may disagree, she must at least voice her thoughts. After all, she must take control before all of it is lost forever.

There is no way in hell she is ever going to adjust to the idea of succession – and Daddy must know of this declaration whether he likes it or not.

Naga folded her arms firmly and nodded – before a throbbing pain came cruising through her brain and caused her to raise her hand in retaliation.

Curse that wine she drank last night……

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, another soul was awakening from sleep.

Zelgadis' eyes slowly opened, as the grip of sleep loosened. He could sense the rays of sunlight traversing across his face – the beginning of a new day.

He paused as his brain slowly clunked into order. Slowly, he spread his gaze across the room around him.

The room was an utter mess: One of the window panes was smashed; there were scorch marks across the carpet and small pieces of debris everywhere.

Zel blinked – then he remembered. There was an assassin here last night.

Grumbling with early morning fatigue, the chimera tried to motivate his body into proper movements.

But this task that would've been made easier - had it not been for a certain monarchical burden that lay in his arms.

Zelgadis sighed. Amelia was still asleep – and thus, she kept him confined to the chair.

Okay so yes it was a nice idea to let Amelia spend the night in his company but it didn't mean anything about what would happen should they wake up at different times.

He gazed in a ponderous manner at Amelia. Whilst he himself was more used to waking up at crack of dawn and continue moving forward to his destiny, Amelia's perhaps more used to fulfilling her duties as a princess. But what duties could she do as a princess? Thus, it was more likely that she slept in most days on the most comfortable of beds whilst Phil handled all problems and administrative duties in Saillune.

Zel mentally cursed. He really hated being stuck in a stagnant position whilst there were things waiting to be done.

But in any case, it looks like he's stuck here – until, of course, Amelia wakes up.

Not that it mattered anyway…..

The chimera certainly felt the heat of the princess' body alongside his own. He could also feel her heart beat and her breathing pattern. But the most important thing is that she managed to this close when no one else would've dared. She had the gall to touch him and, indeed, spend the night in the security of his arms. And all because she didn't want to him know that he was alone.

At this thought, the chimera allowed himself a small smile. It was the simple thought of knowing that you are adored that inspires the warmest of feelings.

Interestingly enough, being in this position adds a new slant to the doubts he had pondered on over the longevity of the relationship with Amelia. Although he never noticed before, he can certainly see a problem in that his behaviour of steadfast determination creates conflict with Amelia's personality. Sure they think the same way – they'd approach a problem by thinking out the best way to bring it down rather than adopting Lina's solution in blowing up everything that's dumb enough to stand in the way – but they have a different aspect on the world around them. Zel is quite prepared to go to whatever lengths to get rid of his accursed chimera body whilst Amelia still handles her adventures with Lina and Gourry with both bewilderment and childlike enthusiasm.

It was at this thought that Zel's eyes shifted from the sleeping princess. He then slowly raised his hand up off Amelia and up into his quizzical gaze.

His brow furrowed at the familiar sight. But this time it was different: Whilst the sight of his hand still inflicted with his reviled blue chimera skin inspired him to keep going and never give up, this time it triggered something leaning towards consideration. Zelgadis' facial expression didn't, for once, get angry, instead it grew restrained in contemplative reflection.

How long will it take? How much longer must he go before his touch isn't of stone but real human flesh? How much longer must he endure being perceived as a freak before being acknowledged as the human he really is?

These were all questions that had always haunted him but this time it as different. From such familiarity, a new question had crept into his train of thought:

What is he going to do once his body is cured?

Zelgadis' face hardened. This was something that had never crossed his mind before. But it was enough to halt him in his tracks.

Everyone has a particular talent and they use this as a basis to make a living out of life. But with Zel, once Rezo inflicted him with this chimera form, nothing else mattered. What quickly become important was finding a cure no matter what the cost – and everything else therefore became disregarded, albeit rapidly, as a lesser priority.

But what will he do once his old human form has been restored?

It seems obvious that he would return to Amelia's side and spend the rest of his days with her. But doing what? Destiny demands that she reign as princess of Saillune (and like all destiny's, this one seems near impossible to back out of). However, unlike Amelia, Zel had no formal training as a member of a royal family.

But, like Amelia, he always appeared to be at his happiest when he was seeing the world and having adventures…….

What had he been doing all this time he has spent trying to find a cure? He had been exploring the globe, reading up on anything he could find and killing people.

At the thought of this, Zelgadis' facial features hardened.

Killing people. That's one thing he has certainly been good at. He certainly had years of experience to build up this 'talent'. And it came from his desire to be strong. There's no denying it: Zel has killed so many in his determination to regain his human form. Sure most of them were evil people but there was also the blood of innocents in amongst the numbers of the dead.

And he killed them all primarily for his own self-advancement. A self advancement that was triggered for a wish to be strong.

Is that all that's he's good for? Being a murderer?

If that is the case then he truly is a monster both inside and out………..

At that moment, the chimera's thoughts were interrupted by the sound off Amelia waking up.

Immediately, those enormous blue eyes fluttered open – It didn't take long before the owner of those eyes realised that she was in the presence of the chimera.

"Hey you" she said gently, smiling a small smile.

"Good morning" the chimera replied, softly.

"You know something?" she said. "I never thought I would be able to wake up one morning right next to you."

Immediately, Zelgadis' face broke out into an immense blush and, as if right on cue, Amelia softly chuckled to herself.

However, it didn't take long for Zel to think up a snappy comeback:

"Since when did you become so dirty minded?"

Now it was Amelia's turn to blush.

Upon seeing her reaction, the chimera softly chuckled to himself.

"Just kidding" he grinned.

The princess didn't reply – instead she sighed.

"You're mean!" she exclaimed and playfully punched him in the chest.

The only problem was Amelia forgot that Zel still had a flesh of stone. Thus, when her fist hit the chimera, her face screwed up into an expression of utter pain.

Seconds later, Amelia was out of the chair and on her feet. She stood with her back to Zel and jumped from one foot to the other, her hand waving in pain and her face speaking volumes of the value of the impact had on her physique.

The chimera sighed. Although stunned by Amelia's sudden burst of action, he remained seated.

He lowered his gaze. Well, once again his accursed stone skin has proved to be socially problematic. Only now not has it prevented him getting close to the people that he cares about, it has also caused injury to the one he loves.

The chimera could feel his hand mould into a fist.

"Curse you Rezo" he murmured (but not for the first time).

Meanwhile, the princess slowly stopped waving her hand. Her facial expression gradually returned to normal and she regained her composure.

The chimera raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry" he said gently.

"Oh my" she grinned awkwardly. "I had no idea that your skin was so hard!"

_What do you expect? I'm one third rock golem_ Zel thought bitterly.

Amelia then turned back to the chair and knelt down beside the chimera.

"I know" she said, empathetically. "It wasn't your fault."

_Yes it is_ the chimera thought.

Then it occurred to her.

"Hey" Amelia said. "I didn't know you were able to think up that good a comeback"

"Oh?"

"In fact" the princess went on, as she reached out and laid her hand gently on the chimera's own, "I must admit that you've changed."

"You think so?" Zel inquired.

"Yes" Amelia nodded. "Ever since we first met I thought you were a real monster…."

Upon hearing this, the chimera's gaze hardened.

Quickly, the princess picked up on her mistake.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said quickly. "Wrong choice of words!"

But in spite of her selection of words, she continued:

"When I first saw you I……wasn't quite sure what to make of you. But now…"

She hesitated, unsure how to put the next part.

"Yes?" Zel replied, prompting her to continue. He was well aware that she had something that was important and thus worth saying.

"…but now….." Amelia went on. "…but now I can see that, in spite of appearances, you really have a human heart underneath."

Amelia bit her lip and her facial expression grew irritable. Well, that was a stupid thing to say. Okay, so maybe it is a good thing to be honest about one's feelings but why oh why must they come out in _the_ most corniest lines ever conceived?!

But if Zel shared the same thoughts, he certainly didn't show it. Instead he leant forward and brought his face within one inch of her own.

"There is no shame in saying what you think" he said gently.

The princess blinked.

"I never thought you'd be one to say such a thing" she said.

Suddenly, Amelia grinned. "I guess my presence must be doing some good!"

The chimera sighed again – only this time, it was in amused resignation.

"Say" she then asked. "How about we both go for some breakfast?"

He blinked before nodding his consent.

* * *

Lina strode out of her bedroom to greet the morning. She entered the adjoining lounge, stretched her muscles and grinned. Having emerged from the hours of sleep she managed to reap, she looked well refreshed and happy.

The first thing she noticed was the morning sun that crept through the window.

The second thing she noticed was that the sun in question illuminated the fact that the lounge itself was still a mess following the scuffle last night. The carpet was scorched; there was broken glass everywhere and pieces of timber that had obviously come from the ceiling. But the sorceress didn't look too bothered. Making a mess like this wasn't anything out of the ordinary.....

Especially if one lived the life she did!

Besides, Phil has an army of servants and they can easily take care of this mess – it is, after all, what they are paid to do!

The next thing she noticed was that the armchair, the one situated in front of the fireplace, was empty.

Lina's gaze hardened. If her memory served her correctly, Zelgadis and Amelia spent the better part of the night both in that chair. Thus it was a curiosity as to why the chair in question would be vacant.

Obviously, they must've gotten up early. But to do what.....?

Suddenly, Lina's thoughts were interrupted - by the sound of someone yawning.

The sorceress flicked her head around to see Sylphiel coming though the doorway, her hand waving in front of her mouth.

Lina blinked – at Sylphiel's calm nature. She seemed oblivious to the signs of the struggle that occurred last night – And this was strange considering that said signs were blindingly obvious.

But now that she thought about it, a lot of mayhem took place last night but Syl didn't really play a large role in it. In fact, Lina was certain she never left her room when the assassin was here.

BUT HOW THE HELL CAN SOMEONE…..

The Shrine maiden then caught sight of Lina and grinned.

"Oh, good morning Lina!" she smiled. "Sleep well?"

The sorceress' gaze hardened.

"Morning Sylphiel" she said slowly.

Just then, Syl noticed the mess in the room.

"Oh my" she said. "What happened here?"

Immediately, Lina fell over backwards.

"You must be joking….." she murmured in exasperation.

Quickly, she got to her feet and brought her face up close to Sylphiel's.

"Tell me" Lina said her voice dangerously soft. "When did you got to bed last night?"

"I went before you did" the Shrine Maiden replied, somewhat astonished by Lina's sudden change in behaviour.

"So you would've been asleep by the time I got there right?"

"Yes…."

"So did you hear anything unusual last night?"

"Errmmmm…….No?"

"WHAT?!"

"Well Lina, I……"

"Come on!" the sorceress yelled. "Tell me you would've heard an explosion or a sight of some sort right?"

"Well Lina," Syl replied. "The truth is……."

"Yes?"

"I have always been a sound sleeper!"

Upon hearing this, Lina, for a second time that morning, fell over backwards.

"Yeah, I can sleep for so long" Syl; grinned. "And have nothing interrupt it at all!"

"Well that would explain a lot" Lina muttered as she got to her feet.

Then again, however, considering that Sylphiel wasn't one for an adventurous lifestyle, should she really be surprised?

"But tell me" the sorceress went on as she got to her feet, "Did you ever notice something strange when you got up this morning?"

"Strange?" Sylphiel replied. "In what way?"

"You know, like the smell of burnt wood? Did you notice the way the walls were horribly burnt? Or the way some of sheets seemed somewhat black?"

"Well, not really….."

Lina opened her mouth and was about to unleash a tsunami of profanities….

….When the lounge room echoed with the excruciating noise that was Gourry yawning. Lina and Sylphiel blinked as the swordsman entered the room, stretching his muscles from sleep and making enough noise to wake the dead!

Gourry, then noticed the girls and grinned

"Morning, Lina!" he greeted. "Morning Syl"

"Hey Gourry" the sorceress replied.

"And good morning to you too" the shrine maiden smiled.

"Sleep well?" he said conversationally.

"Yeah" Lina shrugged.

"Like a log!" Syl said – to which Lina slapped her forehead in exasperation.

The swordsman blinked at the sorceress before shrugging.

"Hey, Lina" he then inquired, his facial features hardened. "Did you ever find out who that guy who attacked us last night was?"

The sorceress paused, before delivering her answer.

But the answer was interrupted by Sylphiel.

"An attacker was here?!" she exclaimed. "In this room?!"

Lina sighed in exasperation.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along" she softly snarled through gritted teeth.

Gourry blinked at the Shrine Maiden. "Didn't you know?!"

Acting quickly, Lina leant over in the swordsman's direction.

"She had slept through the entire thing!"

He blinked before fixing the Shrine Maiden with the most bewildered of facial expressions.

"How could you have slept through that?!" Gourry inquired - To which this made the sorceress slap her forehead in disbelief.

Syl didn't answer, instead she, with a voice that was tainted with a mixture of fear and urgency, asked: "And did he try to kill you?!"

"I thought that's what all attackers did" Lina replied bluntly.

The Shrine Maiden didn't respond – instead she fell over backwards. Her head then hit the floor with a loud thud.

Lina and Gourry exchanged glances – Syl had fainted.

"That sounded sore" The sorceress murmured.

"Wow, she's completely out cold!" the swordsman observed.

"How could she have she have not noticed that guy breaking in last night?" he then asked for a second time that morning.

"She was asleep" Lina answered

Gourry pondered on this before shrugging his shoulders.

"Makes sense" he concluded.

He then cleared his throat before continuing: "That man who broke in – who do you think he was?"

The sorceress blinked. Immediately, her facial expression hardened.

"I can't say" she said eventually. "But what we know so far is that he was an assassin."

"You think so?"

"I don't need to think Gourry. I _know_"

The swordsman blinked. This seemed like unfamiliar territory for his minuscule brain to traverse into…..

Regardless, the sorceress continued: "He had the right look about him with his many weapons attached to his belt. And considering that he went to the effort of finding us in this place, he obviously wanted to get us when we were asleep.

The sorceress' face then broke out into a crafty grin.

"Come on, since when has an assassin ever not resorted to such familiar tactics?!"

Gourry blinked.

"But.....who would want to kill you Lina?"

"Lot's of people" The sorceress replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The swordsman blinked - before wisely choosing to change the subject.

"So how about we grab some breakfast?"

"Excellent suggestion!" Lina beamed. "I bet Phil has a marvellous meal already prepared for us!"

"You think so?"

"Hey I know these rich people - They live large!"

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Well, I guess we go raid his kitchen then!" Lina chuckled

The two adventurers both headed for the door.

They were both already in the hallway when Gourry stopped.

"Hey wait!" he said.

Lina turned, a quizzical expression on her face.

"What's up?"

"What about Sylphiel?" the swordsman inquired, jerking his thumb back into the room. There, the Shrine maiden still lay on the floor. She was still passed out from the bombshell of a revelation that had recently hit her.

"Do you think she's all right?"

"Ah, of course!" Lina grinned.

"But we can't leave her like this!"

"Look Gourry – I know Syl. She'll be all right. Trust me!"

"But…."

Lina sighed her impatience and grabbed the swordsman by the front of his collar. She then brought his face up close to her own and started growling through gritted teeth:

"We shouldn't be standing here arguing when there's food waiting!"

Gourry didn't reply. Instead his lips blundered their way into forming an awkward smile.

But the smile, no matter how blundered, was enough to satisfy Lina. She nodded and let go of the swordsman.

Suddenly, she grinned in mischievous fashion.

"Race you downstairs!" she said.

Really?" Gourry replied. "Well in that case, there's no way I'm going to let you start breakfast without me!"

And with much giggling from the pair of them, the two adventurers shot off down the stairs.

* * *

At that moment, in the palace dining room, Zelgadis and Amelia found themselves occupied – with breakfast.

Of course, having been in the company of Lina Inverse for so long, both were quite content to locate the food and cram it into their mouth as soon as possible.

(You can never ever lose such acquired instincts)

Of course, seeing Amelia going for the food with such abandon caused the chimera to raise an eyebrow.

"You know" the princess said. "I'm so surprised those people down in the kitchen are able to turn consistently marvellous stuff such as this!"

"Really?" the chimera said. "We only arrived here yesterday"

"True" she said. "But considering they've been working around the clock since then, I'm surprised that they are able to keep producing such wonderful food!"

"I am too" Zel said. "I just hope that they don't try anything silly…."

"Silly?" the princess inquired. "Like what?"

"Like an open revolt perhaps….."  
"Oh I doubt that would happen!" Amelia replied brightly. "I know all those who work for Daddy are well paid! Despite the work load, I doubt they'd be one to complain about the amount of pay."

"Are you so sure?"

"Of course!" Amelia retorted. "And knowing Daddy, if the palace employees tried to attack him, he would crush in one might blow, like THUS!"

Unfortunately, the princess had, in that instance, got too carried away with the moment and brought her fist down on the dining table.

But she brought it down with so much force – So much, in fact, that she consequently sent a piece of toast, sporting a freshly-spread portion of jam, flying into the air.

And into the face of Zelgadis.

A stunned silence ensued- before Amelia burst into peals of laughter.

The chimera slowly pulled the piece of toast off his face and cast it aside. He then fixed Amelia with a disapproving glare.

"That's not very funny" he said slowly.

"Sorry!" Amelia managed to say between her laughter. "I'm so sorry"

Zel didn't reply. Instead he grabbed a nearby napkin and proceeded to wipe his face clean of all the jam.

"Come on" the princess grinned. "Surely you would've seen the funny side of being hit by a flying piece of toast!"

Amelia sighed. He just doesn't have a single funny bone in his entire body.

Then she shrugged. Maybe that turned to stone as well…..

Zel then caught sight of her lips morph into a smile.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing" Amelia replied.

And with that she grabbed another piece of toast and rammed the whole thing into her mouth. Sideways.

"You know" Zel said casually. "A princess isn't supposed to act like that"

"Huh?" Amelia said.

"I thought members of royalty were supposed to have more dignified table manners than that"

"What are you talking about? Your manners aren't much better"

"True, but I'm not a member of royalty"

The princess sighed.

"You just don't want to succeed your father don't you?" Zel said empathetically.

"Absolutely not" Amelia sighed.

"You're still determined to forsake your royal position in favour of leading a life of adventure, hrm?"

"Of course!" the princess said. "I love spending time with you, Lina and Gourry! We get to do so much together and we get to see the world! When we're all together we do the type of stuff that I will never experience in Saillune!"

"So let me get this straight" the chimera said. "You find a life of adventure is a more genuine calling than being a princess?"

"Absolutely!"

"Even if it means giving your status?"

"What difference should that make?"

"Being pursued by both the law and the most insidious of monsters?" Zel shot back.

Upon hearing this, Amelia suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

Seeing that he now had the princess' undivided attention, the chimera continued:

"Surviving on an inconsistent cash flow? Living with starvation? Being threatened by anyone and anything? Perceived as nothing more than common criminals? Hanging around disreputable folk? That's hardly the stuff that any self-respecting princess would dare do."

"You're telling me" Amelia said softly.

Zel leaned forward.

"Are you sure you want to give up your title for a life on the road with Lina, Gourry and myself?" he asked, his voice now soft and empathetic. "This doesn't seem like an easy decision to make"

"To be honest" she replied. "One thing that an adventurous life has going for it is that I don't have to worry about making tough decision like this"

"Well, I've no complaints about what I do because I know where I'm going" Zelgadis said firmly.

"Even if it means shutting off everything else around you?" Amelia retorted.

A grim silence ensued.

"What?" Zel replied, stunned by the princess' comeback.

"I know you want to find a cure…" she said

Zel nodded, thus prompting her to continue.

"…….But do you think that finding a cure is of such a greater priority that you can't stand to be with anyone else?"

The chimera blinked.

"What?"

"Zel" she said gently with her eyes growing pained, "Don't you want to make some friends? Or do you think they are merely an obstacle in your quest?"

_Where is she going with is?_ Zelgadis thought.

"I am not a monster" Zel said solemnly.

"Then you could do a lot more than acting like one!"

"But…"

"Honestly Zel, you think you can…."

But Amelia never got to finish her sentence. For into the dining room strode, in a typically noisy fashion, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. Both looked wide awake and ready for some food.

"Gooooood morning!" Lina beamed. "How are we feeling this morning?"

"Hi Lina!" Amelia grinned, all thought of Zelgadis now forgotten. "Sleep well?"

"Well apart from the various sounds of fighting, having one's sleep interrupted to cast a fireball, assassins bursting in on us in the middle of the night, and trying to kill us, I had a good sleep"

"Well….err…" Amelia stammered, with a sheepish grin on her face. "I suppose that's….good to…hear…"

"Hey Lina look!" Gourry said, nodding towards the table. "Some one has already set up our breakfast for us!

"Alllll riiiiight!!!!" the sorceress grinned.

And without any further hesitation, she sprinted for the table and proceeded to devour all the edibles that lay before her. Gourry followed.

"There's just no stopping you isn't there, Lina?" Zel observed.

"Oh come!" Lina said, her mouth already full with slices of toast. "It was just lying there – so it seemed pointless to leave it there!"

"So" Gourry said his mouth also full. "What were you both discussing when we came in?"

Zel and Amelia exchanged uneasy glances – both were uncertain as to whether Lina and Gourry would appreciate to hear what they were debating.

Thinking quickly, the chimera cleared his throat.

"We were discussing what we were going to do next"

"Really?" Gourry said

"What is there to do?" Lina inquired. "We're all honoured guests here in Saillune so we're pretty much got it made!"

"You think so?" the swordsman replied.

"Sure!" the sorceress grinned. "We'll just stay here until……"

"We hear about a nefarious evil that needs defeating?" Amelia interrupted.

"Some bounty hunters come looking for us?" Gourry asked.

"We manage to get Saillune blown off the face of the earth?" Zel muttered.

Lina blinked – before she felt the unmistakable feeling of her eyebrow twitching.

"I WAS SAYING…." she shouted.

Immediately her companions feel silent – thus allowing Lina to continue:

"…before I was RUDELY interrupted….'

(to this, her companions adopted facial expressions of innocence – But Lina carried on with her diatribe regardless)

"…that we should rest before heading off!"

"Heading off?' Gourry asked. "Where to?"

Lina blinked – she wasn't expecting this. But her brain worked quickly to produce an answer.

"To wherever the road may take us, of course!" she said with an awkward smile. "It's happened before – Adventures always end up finding us!"

"That's a rather unusual way to go about life" Zel said, casting an eye at Amelia.

"Well, it's worked before, Zelly boy!" Lina retorted. "And I don't see it ever failing us, even now!"

Suddenly, the smile disappeared from her face and her expression grew more serious.

"Amelia" the sorceress said gently. "Does Phil know about the assassin last night?"

The princes blinked.

"Well" she said slowly. "I haven't had the chance to tell him this morning."

"In that case, do you think it's a good move to tell him of the incident?"

Amelia paused, unsure of how to answer.

Zel cleared his throat: "Considering that Phil has dealt with assassins before, it may be wise to inform him that his status and his family is being threatened. That way, he can take action to prevent the loss of life"

"But right now" Gourry argued, "he seems so happy that Amelia and Naga have returned."

"Exactly" Lina said firmly. "Thus the last he wants to know is that someone may want the members of the Saillune house dead."

This thought was indeed alarming – so much so, a grim silence ensued….

…But this silence was eventually broken by the arrival of Sylphiel. She entered the room with a big smile on her face.

"Good morning everyone!" she beamed.

"Hello!" Amelia smiled. "How are you this morning?"

"Well I feel great!" the shrine maiden said as she strode up the table. "I've had the best sleep I have ever had in a long time!"

And to this, Lina's face fell flat onto the table (Not that anyone noticed). By now, Syl had moved to stand beside the princess.

"The funny thing is" Syl went on "I have this rather large bump on my head and I'm trying to figure out how it got there!"

But had the Shrine maiden turned around at that point, she would've seen the sorceress rising up from her seat with a murderous look in her eyes.

Fortunately for Syl, however, Gourry recognised those signs in Lina and acted quickly: he grabbed the redhead by holding her arms within his own.

"You want another bump on the head?" the sorceress was snarling. "Well there's plenty more where that came from! I have…."

"Calm down Lina!" the swordsman exclaimed. "It's too early in the morning for this!"

Just then, Syl turned around –thus prompting Lina and Gourry to immediately cease their actions.

"You know" she said "I was going to ask……"

Immediately, her speech trailed off – for her eyes had picked up something at the door of the dining room.

"You!' she exclaimed. And without a further ado, she paced her way to the door, leaving her friends blinking.

"She was going ask you?" Gourry inquired, looking at Lina. "Ask you what?"

Lina sighed – before she joined everyone else in seeing what had suddenly picked up Sylphiel's interest.

It was Aldebrand.

He had just entered the room without attracting much interest but, thanks to Sylphiel, now had all eyes of everyone upon him.

Eyes that blazed with distrust.

Sylphiel then headed over to the mercenary and grabbed his hand.

"Aldebrand!" she beamed. "Good morning!"

"And good morning to you too" he replied.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm well"

Zel leaned over to Lina.

"Who invited him?" he muttered.

"Don't look at me" the sorceress shot back.

"Hush!" Amelia said. "Don't say things like that!"

"Why not?' the sorceress retorted.

"Because now might a good opportunity to get to know him, right?"

"Why are you so keen to give him a chance?" Zel growled.

"Well at least I'm putting in more effort than you are!"

"Bah!" the chimera retorted. "This is futile"

"Dammit, Gourry!" Lina said. "Can't you try and take some sense into Amelia?"

But the swordsman wasn't listening. Instead, he was on his feet and striding over to the mercenary and the Shrine maiden.

"Aldebrand!" Gourry grinned. "I just want to thank you for saving my life last night!"

The mercenary blinked.

"Why….thank you….."

"No really!" the swordsman went on. "I owe you one!"

Back at the table, Lina, Zel and Amelia blinked.

"I don't believe it" the chimera said. "They're bonding!"

"That is so cool!" the princess grinned.

"How can you say something like that?!" the sorceress said in exasperation.

"At least Gourry is trying to become friends!" Amelia retorted.

Lina sighed.

* * *

After breakfast, Lina, Gourry, Zel and Amelia all congregated in one of the many corridors of the palace.

"So!" the sorceress grinned, addressing her comrades. "Do the rest of you have any plans for the day?"

"Not really" Amelia replied.

"Well you do you want" the red head grinned. "Because I'm keen to explore the many other culinary delights that Saillune has to offer!"

"Sounds good to me!" Gourry added.

"Aren't we behaving somewhat rashly here?" Zel argued.

The other three didn't reply – instead they all blinked.

"In case you've forgotten" Zel argued. "An assassin broke into this palace and tried to kill us all!"

"So?" Lina snapped, obviously annoyed at the thought of being delayed from food.

"Thus, someone wants us dead! Meaning, we are obviously in a position of danger here!"

"Wait a minute here" Lain said, raising her hand. "Are you saying that we should be on our guard in the event that another assassin should strike?"

"Exactly"

"Do you really think that someone wants us dead that much?" Gourry inquired.

"It's happened before" Zel said dryly.

"Really?" Gourry blinked diminutively. "Since when?"

Immediately, all three fell over backwards.

"Don't tell me" Lina snarled as she got to her feet "that all those years travelling with me didn't result in anything!" Lina snarled.

But, fortunately for Gourry, Amelia cleared her throat.

"What concerns me" the princess said. "Is that if we being threatened by someone, it won't take them long to work out where we are."

Upon hearing this Zel blinked – and Lina looked up from smacking Gourry across the face.

"And in that sense" the chimera said "the longer we stay here in Saillune, the more likely we will be found by assassins…."

And with this statement, a silence hung between them all……

…….Before Crown Prince Philionel strode up. And he seemed as cheerful as ever. He didn't show any sings of having been worn down by the previous evening and his grin was as wide as ever.

"Good morning!" he beamed. "How are we all feeling today?"

"Just fine Phil" Lina said, all thoughts of assassins immediately forgotten.

"Yeah, same here!" Gourry added.

"Good morning Daddy!" Amelia said, her face breaking into a smile.

Then she noticed something.

"Hey, you're wearing your best clothes!" she noted. "Are you going somewhere today?"

"Exactly!" Phil beamed. "I just came by to tell you all that I'm going to be out all day!"

"Really?" Gourry inquired.

"Yes," Philionel nodded. "So until I get back, you are still my guests and you are free to do whatever you want in Saillune."

Upon hearing this, Zel and Amelia leaned in closer together.

"Daddy's leaving Saillune…." She began

"And leaving Lina and Gourry to do as they please?" Zel finished. "Saillune is doomed!"

"He certainly has confidence in us!" Amelia whispered hopefully.

"I'm just wondering as to whether he should be leaving Saillune considering the recent chain of events" Zel replied softly.

"So" Lina said conversationally. "Where are you going off to?"

"Well" Phil answered. "Considering that Gracia is set to succeed me, I thought it appropriate that she be taught the ways of royalty!"

"WHAT?!" the four adventurers all exclaimed at once.

But Phil continued: "So today, I'm taking her to attend a meeting with representatives of Saillune's various trading partners. That way, we should settle a dispute that has been raging amongst everyone involved!"

Gourry, Lina and Zel all exchanged astonished glances.

"Daddy" Amelia inquired. "Just how is Gracia taking such a proposition?"

As if on cue, Naga the Serpent stumbled down the hallway. She was wearing a fancy frock that looked expensive – typical of the Saillune wardrobe. And she was also wearing some fancy jewellery and footwear.

But unfortunately for Naga, she had never worn high heels in her life.

And ever since she had arrived here at Saillune, she had little time to get used to them.

The raven-haired sorceress went stumbling across the carpet, from on end to the other before finally winding up into a wall. Her fingers scrapped down the way as the sorceress slid down from the wall and onto the floor.

Her companions looked shocked but Phil didn't look too bothered.

"Gracia!" Amelia exclaimed as she ran over and knelt down beside her sister. "Are you all right?"

"I'm…just…..fine" the sorceress managed to mumble.

"Yes" Philionel said, somehow oblivious to the ruckus Naga was creating. "I want to take Gracia along to this meeting so she can pick up a few pointers as to how a kingdom is run and how to make important decisions!"

"Phil" Gourry asked. "Are…are you sure …er…..Gracia is the right person for the job?"

"Well, she is my eldest!" Phil grinned. "And royal tradition insists that the eldest succeed their parents!"

Amelia and Naga exchanged glances. But even the younger sister could see the frustration and dissatisfaction in the eyes of her older sister.

"Gracia, do you really want to do this?" Amelia whispered.

"Absolutely not!" the sorceress whispered back.

The princess blinked. That's the type of thing that she herself would say…..

"But anyway" Phil said. "We must be going. We have quite a lot to get through today and we must leave immediately so we can make this meeting"

And with that he held his elbow to his daughter.

Naga, with help from Amelia, struggled to her feet and linked up her arm with her father's.

And with that, they headed off down the corridor and out of sight.

As Naga struggled her way through the nightmare that was wearing high heels.

Seconds after Philionel and Naga had left, Lina Inverse suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

"Naga's learning all about the ways of being a princess?!" she said. "That'll be the day!"

Neither Gourry nor Zel replied. Instead they exchanged equally bewildered looks.

"Oh man" Lina went on. "If Naga is going to succeed Philionel then Saillune is doomed! I'm so glad I'm not part of this royal family!"

Amelia didn't say anything. She didn't appreciate what Lina was saying - But it was plainly obvious that the sorceress was speaking without thinking.

But what she was saying chilled the princess to the bone….

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles from the chaos in the Saillune palace, Thyruss was brooding in his fortress.

And he wasn't happy.

He had just received word that Innokenti had failed in his attempt to get rid of Lina Inverse and her companions. And the assassin was gone for good.....

Thyruss cursed under his breath. Masterminding a revolution with only a handful of combatants wasn't an easy task. Thus, he had to hold on to whatever he had at any cost. He wasn't in any kind of position to lose them!

There's no telling how much of a setback the loss of Innokenti would create!

What made the situation even worse is that he now had a good idea as to how dangerous Lina Inverse truly was. If she was powerful enough to bring about the end of Innokenti, truly a master of assassins, then Thyruss must proceed with his invasion plan at a much slower pace - and with the most careful of steps.....

But this wasn't good for his plan - he was now restricted to operating at a much slower rate then he originally planned! Worse still, losing Innokenti's elite assassination skills meant he would have to fight harder in his revolution and to achieve his goal!

Indeed, it seems he's greatly underestimated the danger that Lina Inverse posed. A mistake that's now proving to be quite fatal.....

Just then Thyruss' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. He looked up to see Valentina enter the room.

The warlord grinned at his love - But no amount of mouth movements could conceal the frustration that blazed in his eyes.

Valentina smiled seductively at Thyruss before crossing the floor and placing a loving arm on his shoulder.

"Any news?" she inquired, in a sexy tone of voice.

"Innokenti's dead" the warlord replied bluntly.

The woman stopped dead in her tracks. She blinked in disbelief.

"What....what are you talking about?" she demanded. "That's impossible!"

"I only wish it were." The warlord sighed. "But what this means is that we're now facing a setback! I needed Innokenti! He was the only one who had the skills to remove any key threats!"

"Obviously, we should now take a cautious approach." she reasoned. "This Lina Inverse could be a greater threat than we first realised."

Thyruss didn't reply. Instead he just slammed his hands onto the desk and shook his head. The loss of Innokenti was indeed a cruel blow to his part.

Upon seeing her beloved in such a way, Valentina smiled a sly smile. She then crossed the floor and laid a gentle hand upon his back.

"Oh come now" she purred. "Why should such a sorceress pose as such a problem? What use is sorcery against your strength of arms?"

Thyruss blinked.

"If anything" The woman whispered. "I believe you can do it."

The warlord grinned a wolfish grin, as hope began pumping through his veins.

"Yes" he grinned. "Yes! We must continue with our revolution! We must make sure the loss of Innokenti must not be vain! What is important is that while we suffer losses, we must not give up! I am going to see this through to the end!"

The woman smiled, at her lover's invigorated determination. Yes, this is the way it should be....

"Valentina?" Thyruss said. "We must proceed to the next phase of our plan. I think it's time we summoned one of our agents in Saillune....."

Then, in hushed tones, he began to explain his plan.....

But little did the warlord know, was that his plan was being delivered to another set of ears.....

Had the warlord bothered to check, he would've found Xelloss hiding underneath the table. The Trickster Priest had been there ever since Valentina came into the room and he had been listening to Thyruss' intentions with undivided attention.

Xel opened his eyes. The more he heard of this information, the more it was proving to be of vital importance. So much so, he must take action.....

* * *

Back at the palace, Zelgadis and Amelia both made their way back to the guest quarters.

"Do you think Lina and Gourry will be all right?" he said.

"I just feel sorry for the owners of all the taverns they're heading to!" she replied.

"Didn't they go through from one end of Saillune to the other yesterday?"

"I guess they must be going over the places they missed!" Amelia chuckled.

Zel smiled briefly at this comment but then his face grew serious.

"You don't suppose that any assassins will try to attack them during the day?" he asked.

"It's possible" Amelia replied. "But I doubt that Lina is the type of person who takes adversity lying down!"

"You certainly have a lot faith in her."

"Absolutely!" she grinned.

By now, the duo had reached their destination: The confederation of rooms the adventurers had been given for temporal residence. They both entered…

…only to be confronted with the mess from the night before

The two adventurers exchanged glances. Now that the morning was well into maturity, this was the first time either of them had really noticed the full extent of the mess that the assassin caused.

"Oh my" Amelia said. "Daddy isn't going to like this…."

"It wasn't you fault" Zel reassured, as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Besides, this can be repaired, right?"

Amelia raised her hand to touch the chimera's.

"True" she said. "I'll get some servants onto it."

"Anyway," she went on. "Whoever that guy was, he certainly put up a good fight"

"You seem surprised." The chimera noted, as he withdrew his hand.

"Huh?"

"Come now, how many assassins have come looking for you and your father?"

Upon hearing this, Amelia's facial expression grew grim.

"Yes, but they were all try-hards. None of them were nothing like that guy who burst in on us, last night."

"Obviously he must be a professional" Zelgadis said, as he paused, and stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Think about it" he went on. "If that guy was more of a challenge then any other assassin whom you've previously faced then he must be acting on an extraordinary rate of efficiency. And, judging by his movements, he acted as if he had done this type of thing many times before."

"You think so?" Amelia blinked, astonished by the chimera's assessment.

Zel nodded.

"But what worries me" he said. "Is that if he was a professional, then someone must've paid him to get of us.

"The only question is who...."

"Maybe he was after Lina?" the princess suggested.

"It's possible." Zel said. "But then again, our man knew exactly where to go. So, whoever paid that assassin....."

"....must be residing somewhere in Saillune." Amelia finished.

"Therefore we must remain on our guard...."

A long and painful silence followed - Much to Amelia's frustration. She didn't like these silences. And neither did she enjoy discussions that descend into a morbid tone.

She then turned to face the chimera, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and leant in until both their bodies were touching. To this, Zelgadis' face went as bright as a ripe tomato.

"No matter what happens" she said gently. "You'll protect me, right?"

Considering the amount of situations that Amelia keeps thrusting him into, one would think Zel would've gotten used to it by now. But, it would seem that nothing could eradicate the embarrassment that Zelgadis had for this type of situations. Eventually, he swallowed:

"Count.... on it" he said. "I've no intention of....losing you....yet"

Amelia giggled at the awkwardness of his response. But at least the answer provided was a satisfactory one.

"Hey, I never thought I'd hear you say those words" she said. "You must be getting more comfortable with situations like this."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely…"

"Well in that case, can you do one little thing for me?"

"Sure!" Amelia grinned. "What?"

"Don't mention this to the others"

The princess blinked before chuckling softly.

"Don't worry" she said gently. "I won't."

Then, she leaned up off the chimera and cleared her throat:

"So what are you going to do today?"

"Huh?" Zel replied, unsurprisingly taken aback.

"I don't know about you" Amelia grinned. "But I think I might go and visit Konstantin again"

At the mention of the craftsman, Zelgadis' face hardened.

"Whatever suits you."

However, it didn't take long for Amelia to hit on what Zel was thinking.

"Do you really distrust him that much?

"Dammit Zel, if you keep up such an attitude, you'll never get anywhere! If you keep mistrusting nearly everyone you meet, you'll never have anyone to call a friend!"

Zel said nothing.

The princess sighed.

"Well can't you at least give him a chance?" she said in exasperation.

Zel folded his arms and his facial features solidified.

Amelia shook her head at the chimera's steadfast defiance. But in spite of his attitude, she locked him within a stern gaze.

"Well, no matter. Regardless of what you may think, I'm going. With or without you."

Zelgadis blinked.

"You're leaving the palace?" he said in alarm. "Even when there's someone running around who wants us dead?"

"Why should that be a problem?"

"If you leave the palace, you'll be putting yourself at risk!"

"Why should that be your concern?"

Zel hesitated with his answer. But even as he did so, another large blush made it's way across his face.

"...I....I just don't want any harm to come of you"

"Don't worry!" the princess smiled. "I'll be fine!"

"Never underestimate the power of Justice!"

And with a chuckle, she left the room.

This, in turn, left Zel alone with his thoughts. Eventually he shrugged and began considering his options as to what to do next.

But it wasn't long before he received a visitor.

"I just knew I'd find you here."

Immediately, the chimera froze. His gaze hardened and his muscles began twitching.

Slowly, he turned to face the speaker, but he already knew who it was. After all, he could spot that voice a mile away.

Even if it was a voice he didn't really want to hear.

"Xelloss" the chimera growled.

"The one and only!" the mazoku grinned. He was leaning against the wall, with his arms folded and his staff (also leaning against the wall) in easy reach.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering: Are you, in any way, curious about that assassin who struck last night?"

Zel stopped dead in his tracks.

"How....how do you know about that?"

"That's a secret!" Xelloss grinned, opening one eye in a wink and waggling his finger.

Zel growled his frustration. He should've known.....

Hey, wait a minute…..

"Hold on…." The chimera started. "….How long have you been standing there?"

"I've only just arrived" mazoku said as his grin faded and his other eye opened. "Why?"

Zelgadis' eyes hardened.

"Did you see anything….suspicious?"

"What?"

"Anything out of the ordinary? Something you wouldn't expect to see?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well in that case, you didn't" Zel said. "Thank L-sama for that!"

Upon hearing this, Xel closed his eyes and grinned an evil grin.

"Now that you mention it" he said. "Now I AM curious as to what happened here!"

"WHAT?!?" Zel shouted, his facial expression alarmed and his brain immediately registering a state of panic.

"So" the mazoku chuckled, amused as to what he'd done. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"HUH?!"

"Come on, you can't back out now! You brought it up!"

"Trust me" Zel said, his voice betraying his urgency to maintain secrecy. "You DON'T want to know!"

"What if I do?"

Sensibly, Zelgadis turned away from the mazoku.

"Go away Xelloss" the chimera snarled. "I don't have time for your nonsense!"

"What's the matter?" the Trickster Priest retorted. "Don't you want to know about the great disaster that's coming to Saillune?"

Zel paused. Slowly he turned around.

"What great disaster?"

* * *

Naga felt ridiculous.

Her feet felt tight, crammed and sore. Her legs felt restricted and under extreme difficulty to make any type of movement. And her arms were no better off. She felt confined, unable to move as easily as she was used to and utterly embarrassed.

Jeez, wearing some extravagant frock for last night's dinner was bad enough. But to wear another expensive outfit the next day was simply too much! None of these stupid outfits had the flexibility that her familiar leather offered and were a nightmare to move in.

Honestly, she's faced many obstacles in her time: Feckless employers, legions of mazoku, armies of dragons, family feuds of the absurd kind, an enchanted mirror that contained a power too horrible to comprehend and even a mad scientist who dared clone her ten times!

But none of them were anything like suffering through the hell that was this!

The raven-haired sorceress was making her way through the hallway of a rather plush looking mansion accompanied by her father, Philionel. However, considering Naga was having lots of difficulty with this outfit, such a journey wasn't easy. She hadn't worn high heels, or such restricting clothes, before – and she hadn't been given much time to get used to them either. Consequently, the journey to this point hadn't exactly been pleasurable. Sure most of it was spent in a wagon heading from Saillune but even when that was spent in these accursed clothes, it wasn't exactly a comfortable experience

Man, this idea of succeeding her father just keeps getting worse by the minute….

Phil, on the other hand, had the widest grin on his face. Any one could see that he was proud of his daughter - even if it made him oblivious to how much her clothes were causing her so much ill-comfort.

"Just think Gracia" the Crown prince was saying. "You're next in line! You're a princess!"

Naga raised an eyebrow. Princess? Hey, did she like the sounds of this!

"And when I die" Phil went on. "You shall be my successor and you will be the ruler of Saillune!"

The sorceress didn't reply. Instead she was fantasising about the prospects of being in charge of Saillune. She would be a princess! She would have a magnificent pad! She would be living in royalty! She would have loads of money and countless underlings ready to attend to her every whim!

Any shock from being appointed Phil's successor had now gone. What mattered was that she was going to be living it easy from now on!

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all!

For some reason she had a strange feeling that she didn't feel this way earlier this morning….

Oh, who cares?! She's going to a princess!

And besides, hangovers suck!

"And this is why" Philionel continued. "I'm taking you to meet some visitors to Saillune. They are all dignitaries from various aristocratic circles who have come to this palace on missions of diplomacy."

Instantly, Naga's fantasy came to a grinding halt. She turned to face her father with a puzzled expression.

"Dignitaries?" she inquired. "Diplomacy?"

"Exactly" Phil replied with a nod. "You see, Saillune is currently facing some difficulties with it's trading partners and this has resulted in a dispute amongst the trading merchants that journey through Saillune every day. Thus, Saillune is facing certain disaster with it's trade routes in disarray. Henceforth, we are going to meet some representatives from the key factions in this fiasco so we negotiate to bring an end to it."

"Hold on" Naga said. "We're going to settle this problem through negotiations?!"

Being of a mercenary nature, this was something new to Naga: Her experience from consistently being on the road has taught her that there was only one way to settle a dispute:

Getting paid to blow something off the face of the earth!

"Of course!" Philionel grinned. "Such skills are vital when it comes to ruling a kingdom! It isn't just living it rich you know! There's real work involved. And it's important that you know what to do so I know the future of Saillune is in good hands."

Phil chuckled at this. But the raven-haired sorceress didn't share such sentiments. Her expression grew increasingly worried. Not just living rich?

There's WORK involved?!?!?

It was there and then that Naga's idea of being a princess fell to the floor and shattered to a thousand pieces. All of a sudden the idea of being in charge of Saillune didn't sound so crash hot.

It's amazing just how high one's hopes can climb before they come plummeting down in spectacular fashion.

Just then, the two members of the Saillune ruling family arrived to their destination: the door that led to the palace drawing room.

The Crown prince turned to his daughter. "Are you ready?"

Naga drew a deep breath before nodding.

Satisfied with this response, Phil pushed open the door....

....to reveal a table. The table was made from an expensive wood finish that had been polished to make it shine and it came with five matching chairs.

And also in the room were three men. Three men who stood in a line, awaiting the Crown prince and whom were dressed in expensive clothes and bore arrogant expressions - obvious signs that these guys were in positions that commanded respect.

The first one was short and fat. He had a mop of brown hair and a fanciful moustache. He was bloated in appearance and his eyes flashed with greed.

The second was tall, thin and clean shaven. His black hair was cropped short and his eyes were dark to match. He also bore a piercing gaze that reeked of both shiftiness and menace.

The third had handsome features set in amongst a well-trimmed goatee. Unlike the other two, this one had a more kindly expression. He seemed more so the receptive kind.

Now that these three dignitaries were all in Philionel's presence, they bowed, acknowledging his authority. They also cast an inquisitive gaze at Naga.

The raven-haired sorceress' expression hardened. She could feel their gaze upon her. And she knew exactly what they were thinking of her - even though they had only just met:

Contempt.

Man, this succession job seems more difficult than what she first thought.....

"Welcome gentlemen!" Phil grinned. "And may I present my daughter, Gracia, whom I have invited to this talk as a guest and an observer."

Without bothering to wait for a response, the Crown Prince immediately set about introducing Naga to each of the guests in turn.

"This" he said, of the first one. "Is Sir Boris. He is here representing the Merchants Guild in a discussion over trade relations in Saillune."

"Pleasure" replied the fat man - in a greeting that was anything but enthusiastic.

"Merchant's Guild eh?" Naga grinned. "I heard you make a lot of money!"

"That's right"

"Ah!" the sorceress chuckled. "Then that might explain this!"

And before anyone could stop her, she shot her finger out and prodded the merchant's stomach.

Unfortunately for Naga her instincts, built out of mercenary habits and being a consistent traveller, had taken control of this rather unfamiliar situation. Indeed, such habits are not adequate in matters of diplomacy!

Philionel, along with the other guests, blinked in astonishment at Naga's unorthodox behaviour. But Phil immediately took control. After all, he owned in a position of command and one where he consistently faced countless assassins every day - Thus he could sense trouble as soon as he saw it.

Acting quickly, and eager to retain the good name of Saillune, Phil quickly bustled Naga away from Sir Gordon and to the next guest: the tall man with the piercing gaze.

"And this," Phil said. "Is Sir Marius. He is from the neighbouring kingdom of Viruk - a key trading partner with Saillune."

"Pleasure aim shawl" Marius replied, his voice bearing a very rich accent.

Naga didn't reply. Instead she unleashed her trademark laugh:

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

This, in turn sent shock waves of astonishment through the dignitaries - Sir Marius in particular.

"Did I say something fun-knee?" he inquired.

But this only made the sorceress laugh more - only now more loudly than before.

"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

Unfortunately, Naga had little experience dealing with aristocratic types. Therefore, she found it difficult to take Sir Marius' accent seriously.

Shaken by his daughter's behaviour, but still maintaining a cool head Phil took action. He quickly introduced Naga to the third and final dignitary.

"And this is Sir Valmir, a representative from the neighbouring kingdom of Karis"

He then pulled the sorceress closer to issue a rather urgent whisper:

"And try to maintain a more friendly atmosphere okay?!"

Naga nodded, before returning to face Sir Valmir.

"Aha!" she grinned, indicating to his beard. "I see you've got a rabbit attached to your face! Don't worry, a razor will take care of it easily!"

Upon hearing Naga's latest blunder, Philionel slapped his forehead. How is it possible that this meeting could go so wrong?!

Thankfully, Sir Boris came to the Crown prince's rescue:

"Your highness?" he inquired. "So far, we haven't uttered a word in relation to settle this trading dispute. Instead we've suffered from your daughter's behaviour."

"You're right." Philionel said. Quickly he took control:

"Gentlemen?" he said, in a commanding voice. "Shall we get down to business?"

The dignitaries all nodded in consent. Then all three of them, along with Naga and Phil all took their seat at the table.

"Right" Phil said. "Shall we begin? I for one would like to see this meeting take place, so we can all put an end to this dispute and reassume trade to Saillune."

"Hear, Hear!" Sir Marius proclaimed.

But sadly, Naga still couldn't take his accent seriously: "OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"

Phil sighed. This was going to be one long meeting.....

* * *

The chimera fixed the mazoku with an accusing glare.

"Are you sure about that?"

Xelloss nodded.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Only if you want Philionel and Amelia overthrown."

Zel paused. Early that morning, he had reached the conclusion that someone in Saillune wanted them dead. But there was also the matter of who this person was. Or what he, or she, wanted.

Considering the odd politics of Saillune, it was easy to determine that some wanted to get rid of Philionel. Indeed, Phil's position was one which attracted its fair share of usurpers. Henceforth there were a considerable number of factions who wanted to get rid of the Champion of Justice. Thus, what the Trickster Priest told him was reason enough to keep on one's guard. But what the mazoku didn't tell him who was behind this operation.

But with no concept of the intentions of this mystery someone, there was no telling if it was Philionel's position that was sought after here.

Thus, Zel had reason enough to maintain his suspicions.

Besides, since when has anything reliable emerged from Xelloss' mouth?!

"Your story is interesting" he said slowly. "But I see, as yet, no reason as to why I should believe it. Firstly, I need some concrete evidence....."

"Evidence!?" Xelloss retorted, opening his eyes. "What evidence do you need?! Do you honestly think that assassin that visited you last night was coincidental?!"

The chimera raised an eyebrow.

"And even if your story had a grain of truth in it," he argued, "it doesn't explain how you managed to know about it."

"That's a secret!" Xelloss grinned, closing one of his eyes in a wink.

"As always" Zel shot back.

"And what's more," he continued, "your story is made even more ambiguous in the fact that you just told me what's going to happen. You haven't given any names or motivations."

"So?"

"How would I know I'm not being led into a blind alley? For all I know, I could end up attacking, and ruining, something beneficial!"

"Has that ever happened before?" Xelloss said, in a playful tone.

"Yes" Zel replied bluntly.

"Do you consider explosions and the destruction of several buildings beneficial?" the mazoku said, his tone of voice now in an accusing format.

"Only to the advancement of science"

The mazoku sighed.

"Do you honestly think that that visitation from that assassin last night was coincidental?"

"Weirder things have happened." The chimera retorted.

The mazoku sighed again.

"Believe what you want"

And with that he vanished, leaving Zelgadis standing alone in the ruined room.

* * *

Elsewhere in the palace, Sylphiel resided in her room, her mind wrapped up in a spellbound nature.

She lay on her bed, in her distinctive clothes with her arms outstretched and her eyes staring at the ceiling.

Since arriving at Saillune, things had certainly been progressing at an astonishing rate. It was mind-boggling in the fact that her life had changed so much in such a small space of time. The events that she had been pulled into were certainly a far cry from the life she had known. But then again, this life was one she was dragged into and forced into adapting to. Indeed, what else can one do when one's home city and one's father is taken away?

But still, this change of lifestyle also triggered changes to Sylphiel's character. Why, who would've thought that the Shrine Maiden would end up defeating the greater mazoku Damenamecus?

However for such a change, Lina would, naturally, have a lot to do with it.

Ironically, when they first met, Sylphiel, having never set foot outside of her home city, originally detested the ideal of adventuring. But these changes seem to be pushing her in such a direction. Indeed, with her childhood home gone forever, Sylphiel was now left with nothing. This, in turn left her searching for an empty destiny.

The Shrine maiden's gaze then travelled from the ceiling before settling on the other occupant in the room.

Aldebrand.

He sat on the foot of the bed, still in his distinctive mercenary clothes, and with his back to Sylphiel. His contemplation betrayed by his facial expression.

The Shrine maiden blinked. What was he thinking?

While we're at it, who was this man called Aldebrand?

They had first met when he saved her from a tavern brawl. Why? Was he really what he told her: 'a sucker for a pretty face'? Or was there some other purpose?

Of course, having her life saved like that was certainly a noble act and worthy of her adoration - But then again, she also used the same excuse in her pursuit of Gourry.

And look where that got her.

Henceforth, how could she be so sure that this hero-worship behaviour was heading her in the right direction? Was it safe to play by such an ideal that she had relied on previously? Or was she dooming herself?

Regardless, he seemed a nice guy from the outset. He certainly exhibited some generous and noble behaviour. And he seemed quite interested in her.

Was this the path of true love?

Has her luck finally taken a turn for the better?

Meanwhile, Aldebrand's mind was also pondering on the events that had occurred since he'd saved the Shrine Maiden from that tavern brawl.

Why did he have to go and do a thing like that? Of course, it seemed the natural thing to do. Besides, if he hadn't intervened, Sylphiel would've been brutally bashed by those thugs.

But such intervention only came from his mercenary instincts: Having spent so long drinking and womanising in countless taverns, it was therefore unsurprising that he should become 'a sucker for a pretty face.' And he must admit, the more time he spent with the Syl, the greater his feelings had grown for her. Being of such a warrior nature, there was something in her gentle spirit that he found contrasting.

And interesting.

But, by falling for Sylphiel, Aldebrand was only setting himself up for trouble. Her presence was clouding his priorities as a mercenary. Consequently, he was spending more time with her when he should be obtaining information for his employer:

The warlord Thyruss.

What made the situation even more dangerous was that Sylphiel was in league with Lina Inverse. Although lacking in his spying mission, Aldebrand still managed to keep abreast with the developments from Thyruss' citadel through secret meetings with carrier pigeons and informants. And recently, the warlord had been frustrated with someone called Lina Inverse. Someone who had quite a reputation behind her. Someone who was powerful enough to kill the ruthless assassin Innotenti.

Someone who fitted the exact description of Sylphiel's red-headed friend.

Matter's were not helped that Lina and Sylphiel were friends of one Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune: A member of the exact Saillune ruling house that Thyruss sought to bring down.

Of course, this placed Aldebrand in a position of indecision. It's only a matter of time before his dealings with Thyruss are exposed. This, in turn, will bring an abrupt end to his relationship with Sylphiel and no doubt Lina will extract vengeance in her own way - indeed, anyone who can defeat Innotenti isn't someone whom Aldebrand would want to get on their bad side.

On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before Lina and her friends catch wind of Thyruss' plot and move to stop him. This, in turn, presents the mercenary with the option of turning his back on Thyruss and joining Sylphiel's cause. But, being of such mercenary nature, why should he care who, or what, he should fight for? If he turns his back on Thyruss, then he misses out on an enormous, and indeed worthwhile, pay chest.

Suddenly, Aldebrand's thoughts were brought back to earth with the sound of Syl's voice:

"What's on your mind?"

The mercenary slowly turned his head around to see the Shrine Maiden staring back at him from her prostrate position.

"Hrmmm?"

"You look like you were a million miles away." Sylphiel said gently.

"Oh......It was nothing"

The Syl's brow furrowed.

"Oh really?"

"I mean it" the mercenary replied.

"No, something is on your mind." Sylphiel said. She rose up off the bed and came down to rest on her knees alongside the mercenary. She then placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"....I.....I....." Aldebrand hesitated.

The shrine maiden blinked.

"I'm worried about your friend Lina" he blurted out.

"Ah, is that what's bothering you?" Syl said. "I can understand your concern."

To this, Aldebrand raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Don't worry about it." she went on. "I know Lina and she is a good judge of character. Sure she is well known as a bandit killer and her destructive capabilities, but she can be a real nice person.

"Just give it time, okay?"

Aldebrand opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" the mercenary inquired.

A reply coming from the mouth of a servant, rang out from the other side of the door.

"I have a message here for someone called Aldebrand....."

* * *

"Now this looks interesting"

Amelia picked up a small puppet that was fashioned into the likeness of a werewolf. The puppet was carved into a crouching position, but it's legs and arms looked considerably strong. It's mouth was open, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth and it's eyes blazed with ferocity. The puppet was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand but the amount of intricate detail that had gone into it's construction was astonishing.

"Impressed are you?" Konstantin inquired.

"As ever"

Suddenly, the puppet started to move. It got up off it's knees and began prowling around on Amelia's palm. Then it raised it's head and began emitting a soft howl.

This, in turn, made the Champion of Justice chuckle in amusement.

"Ah" Konstantin beamed. "I made that this morning."

"This morning?" the princess echoed, her eyes wide in surprise. "Wow!"

"Why thank you....Amelia" the craftsman said.

"Ah!" she smiled.

"Say" the puppet-maker said. "What on earth happened to your chimera friend?"

Amelia fell silent and her grin slowly evaporated. She could still remember what happened yesterday when she had managed to persuade Zel to come and visit this puppet store. But such a venture proved to be an unwise move.

"....He.....He refused to come here" she said slowly.

"Shame" Konstantin mused. "I thought he was an interesting character.

"Even if he seemed somewhat crabby....."

"I'm afraid he is a lot like that." Amelia sighed. "You may think his chimera form is fascinating but he hates it. A lot."

Amelia paused. She was thankful that Zel wasn't here. He wouldn't appreciate such talk about his curse - whether it be idle or not. But Amelia had known Konstantin for a long time - long enough to know that he was a good man and one of the trustworthy type.

"You know," Konstantin said, "I can tell that he certainly means a lot to you."

Amelia sighed happily.

"And isn't that the truth."

"Have you been together for a long time, eh?"

"Oh, but of course." Amelia smiled sweetly. "We met some years ago. We've remained close friends ever since. Believe you me, he is a nice guy and certainly has a noble and kind heart"

"Really?" Konstantin chuckled. "He seems like a morose bastard to me!"

She blinked, taken aback by the craftsman's comment.

That is until he began chuckling. Amelia sighed, when she realised he'd really been joking.

"I know he can be miserable" the princess declared firmly. "But I have tried excessively to cheer him up and to see things from a more positive light."

"And I'm glad he has someone like you to do it for him." the puppet-maker beamed.

"Did tell you" she said, changing the subject. "My long lost sister, Gracia, has finally returned to Saillune?"

"Ah yes" Konstantin grinned. "I've already heard. It's the talk of the town!

"I bet your father was delighted."

"You don't know the half of it!" the princess laughed.

"So, has Gracia managed to settle in well?"

To this, Amelia bit her lip. This was one question she wasn't too keen on answering......

Eventually she relented:

"Let's just say, she's having a bit of trouble adjusting back to the life of royalty....."

Konstantin shrugged.

"Mind you" the princess went on, "I'm concerned for my friend Sylphiel."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"She's been seeing this guy. She certainly attached to him and they've been a doing a lot of stuff together.

"Is that a problem?" the craftsman said. "That sounds like a close romance to me."

"Yeah I know that. And I think it's a good thing that Sylphiel has found someone.

"But he seems .....somewhat....creepy. Henceforth, everyone is suspicious of him.

"I think his name is..... Aldebrand."

At the mention of this name, the craftsman's eyes hardened.

Just then, Amelia's eyes caught sight of the clock on the wall and she let out a cry of alarm.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "I gotta go meet up with Lina! Sorry Konstantin, but I have to go."

"That's all right" the puppet maker nodded. "Thanks for passing by. Come back soon!"

"Goodbye!" Amelia grinned.

And with that, she turned and headed out the door, leaving the door chimes dancing in her wake.

Minutes later, the chime on the door rang again. The craftsman raised an eyebrow. Could this be another visitor?

The visitor wasn't someone whom Konstantin was expecting. It was a man of tall stature who sported a black goatee and a battle hardened appearance. It was a man who fixed the puppet-maker with a devilish grin and an accusing gaze.

Worse still, it was a man whom Konstantin recognised.

And it was someone whom he had hoped never to hear from again.

"Aldebrand."

"Hello Konstantin" the mercenary grinned, as he strode across to the counter. "I'm so glad to see you're still here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I figured you would've picked up on Valentina's message by now."

"What are you talking about?" Konstantin asked, already feeling his skin grow cold.

"Oh come now" Aldebrand said. "You can't hide from the truth forever you know......"

And with that he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper - to which he began to read aloud:

"Gentlemen. Due to Innotenti's untimely departure, we are now advancing the schedule further than anticipated. We are now in a position where we will instigate phase two. Konstantin will strike at the University tonight while Aldebrand will make immediate reports on any developments to the Saillune populace."

The craftsman paused, his expression solemn.

Aldebrand grinned.

"We're moving ahead with the plan. Thyruss' revolution is going to be taking place much sooner than expected. In other words, I certainly would hate to be you."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me." the mercenary growled. "I know who your last customer was. I saw her race out the door on my way here. And even an idiot knows who she is: She's Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune!"

"So?" the craftsman said.

"So?!?" the mercenary exploded. "It seems a fairly ridiculous idea that you should be friends with the enemy!"

"You can talk!" Konstantin shot back. "You're seeing one of Lina Inverse's friends!"

Aldebrand blinked.

"Yeah that's right. I know all about you and Sylphiel."

The mercenary stopped, all too aware that his secret wasn't a secret any more. Quickly, he brought up one desperate excuse:

"Yeah.... well .......what Thyruss doesn't know can't hurt him!"

Konstantin didn't pay any attention. Instead he shook his head.

"It would seem, that we are both in the same boat." Konstantin said slowly. "We are now both in friendly ties with the enemy. And considering the tasks, we've been assigned to, we're now in a position where whatever we do, we will ultimately wind up betraying one or the other. Our friends or our employer."

Aldebrand remained silent as the puppet maker continued:

"Knowing you, I guess you won't betray Thyruss. You'll just rely on your mercenary ways and go where the pay chest is at it's largest."

"True" Aldebrand said softly and headed for the door.

But before he disappeared into the street, he turned and grinned at the craftsman.

"And knowing you, you'll probably keep following Thyruss as well. After all, friendship holds a lesser priority than revenge....."

* * *

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